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2010-09-30

Maryan – artist’s desires

A conference dedicated to the life and works of a Jewish artist Maryan took place in Nowy Sącz on September 20. The speeches were given by: Artut Tanikowski from the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Ewa Andrzejewska and Krzysztof Bojarczuk from “Maryan – artist’s desire” association from Nowy Sącz, and Bernard Sberro – a French painter and art collector. The conference was accompanied by art workshops for kids, held between 21 and 23 September in the Regional Museum.

Pinchas Burstein, known as Maryan, was born in Nowy Sącz in 1927. During the occupation period, he and his family were locked in the ghetto and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Right after the war, Maryan had his leg amputated. He left to Palestine, where he started his studies of graphics at Bezalel Art Institute. In 1950, Maryan began next studies at the School of Fine Arts in Paris. In the 1960s, Maryan moved to New York, received American citizenship and started to create under the pseudonym Maryan. He died in June 15, 1977. He was buried at Montparnasse cemetery in Paris.

Maryan was one of the founders of the painting movement called Neofiguration. He was honored with medal of the Knight Order of Arts and Literature by the French government. His expressionistic works show a suffering man with entangled past and uncertain future. His figures are often presented on the universal (red or blue) background, without space, without exit. Maryan’s art has clear signs of alienation, solitude and suffering. Being on emigration, the artist missed Poland. He spoke Polish and never forgot his homeland.

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Maryan – artist’s desires

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