Jan Lebenstein (1930–1999), *Coups de garde*, 1973, 56/100

Jan Lebenstein was born in Brest-Litovsk and died in 1999 in Kraków. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under Artur Nacht-Samborski. He made his debut at the exhibition “Against War, Against Fascism” at the Arsenal in Warsaw in 1955. In 1959, he received the Grand Prix at the First International Biennale of Young Artists in Paris. From that time on, he lived permanently in France. He drew his themes from ancient literature, mythology, and the Bible. He studied cultural archetypes and transformed them into paintings. He also created a series devoted to depictions of prehistoric animals. Associated with the Paris-based “Kultura” circle, he illustrated G. Herling-Grudziński’s short stories published there. He illustrated Orwell’s *Animal Farm*, published by the Literary Institute, and designed a stained-glass window depicting scenes from the Apocalypse in the Pallottine Chapel in Paris. In 1976, he received the A. Jurzykowski Foundation Award from New York, and in 1987, the independent J. CybisAward .

[JR]