Artist: Yosl Bergner (1920–2017)
Technique: Color lithograph, hand-signed and marked A.P.
Edition: Artist's Proof (A.P.)
Dimensions: 30x40 cm (Paper size)
About the Artwork:
This original color lithograph by Israel Prize laureate Yosl Bergner features a classic surrealist still life. The composition centers on a dented, textured metal trash can placed on a sandy ground against a dark, stormy sky and sea horizon. Floating out of the bin are several of Bergner’s signature anthropomorphic elements: squashed kitchen utensils, a grater, an open apple, beets, and an oil lamp, with the metal lid hovering mysteriously above. The print masterfully employs muted earth tones, deep blues, and a sharp pop of magenta. It is hand-signed in Hebrew along the bottom right and marked "A.P." in pencil on the bottom left.
About the Artist:
Yosl Bergner (1920–2017) was a seminal Israeli painter and illustrator whose nomadic early life profoundly shaped his unique artistic vision. Born in Vienna and raised in Poland, Bergner emigrated to Australia as a young man before finally making Israel his home in 1950. His experiences of displacement and migration deeply influenced his art, making him a central figure in Israeli surrealism and expressionism. Bergner became world-renowned for his allegorical and hauntingly poetic depictions of inanimate, displaced objects—such as floating kerosene lamps, broken chairs, and old kitchen utensils—which he used as symbols to evoke memory, Jewish heritage, and the human condition. Over his long and celebrated career, his immense contribution to local culture was recognized with the prestigious Dizengoff Prize in 1956 and the Israel Prize for Painting in 1980. Today, his iconic works are celebrated globally and held in major permanent museum collections, including the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.