Jakub Zucker (1900, Radom – 1981, New York), Boy in a Red Shirt

Bibliography
Jakub Zucker, text by Joanna Tarnawska, Warsaw 2011, p. 167 (ill.)

Biography
At the age of 13, he fled to Palestine. After 1913, he attended the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design there. In 1925, he settled in Paris, where he studied at the Académie Julian and the Académie Colarossi. From 1927 onward, he exhibited his works at the Salon d’Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. After World War II, he moved to New York. He painted genre scenes—including those related to Jewish folklore—landscapes, portraits, and still lifes. Jakub Zucker’s painting is characterized by impasto, expressively applied patches of color, and vibrant hues. The artist’s creative credo is best expressed in his own words: “I do not paint for money, nor out of a sense of duty, nor to achieve success and gain fame. I paint for the glory of God, in gratitude for all the blessings He has bestowed upon me. I paint for myself, because art is the surest path to freedom, an escape from life’s problems.”