Artist: Yosl Bergner (1920–2017)
Technique: Original Color Serigraph (Silk Screen Print)
Dimensions: 43 x 56 cm (print size)
Status: Hand-signed by the artist in Hebrew ("יוסל ברגנר") in the lower right corner; numbered 116/250 in the lower left corner. Printed on heavyweight printmaking paper. Unframed and preserved in excellent gallery condition.
About the Artwork:
This breathtaking limited-edition print by Yosl Bergner beautifully encapsulates his poetic, allegorical surrealism. Titled Blue Lamp, the composition centers on an ornate kerosene lamp casting a vivid turquoise glow across a table draped in a white tablecloth. Next to the lamp rests a small, framed portrait of a girl with deep, expressive eyes. In the background, a snowy shtetl village sleeps under a turbulent dark sky, as a distant train passes along the horizon—a powerful, recurring motif in Bergner's work symbolizing historical memory and displacement. The piece is highly valued for its striking contrast and profound narrative depth.
About the Artist:
Yosl Bergner (1920–2017) was a towering figure in Israeli art and a recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize for Painting in 1980. Born in Vienna and raised in Warsaw, Poland, his family fled European antisemitism for Australia in 1937, where he studied at the National Gallery School in Melbourne and helped shape Australian social realism. Immigrating to Israel in 1950, Bergner established himself as a master painter, illustrator, and theater set designer. His signature style masterfully humanizes everyday household tools, blending dreamlike landscapes with memories of a lost Jewish world. His seminal works are held in elite international permanent collections, including the Israel Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria.