On the road of Jérusalem - Miron Sima (1902-1999)

An oil on canvas measuring 61x46 cm depicting a road to Jerusalem in 1943, signed in the lower right corner by Miron Sima (1902-1999).

Born on January 22, 1902, in Proskurow (Ukraine, Russian Empire), Miron Sima grew up in a secular and cultured family environment. His father, Benjamin, was an architect and calligrapher. Marked by the violent pogroms of his childhood, his family fled to Odessa in 1920, where the young artist began his art studies. In 1921, after another pogrom, they went into exile in Poland, before his parents emigrated to Palestine in 1923.

From 1924 to 1930, Sima studied at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, where he became a personal student of Otto Dix, the famous Expressionist painter. This training under Dix's tutelage profoundly influenced his artistic style. Like his master, Sima developed a particular sensitivity to social themes, exploring poverty, suffering, and marginalization in his work. During this period in Germany, he notably created the series of woodcuts Der Aufschrei (The Cry, 1924), a powerful testament to his experience of the pogroms.

His talent was quickly recognized: he won three prestigious prizes and three honorable mentions during his studies. In 1932, despite the opposition of the Nazi members of the Dresden artistic community, he received the City of Dresden Art Prize for his painting The File Maker (Feilenhauer). He would be the last Jewish artist to receive this distinction before the rise of Nazism.

In 1933, facing Nazi persecution, Sima was expelled from Germany as a stateless person. He emigrated to Palestine, financing his journey by selling his prize-winning painting. He initially settled in Tel Aviv, where he earned a living creating sets for the Ohel Theatre. In 1938, he settled permanently in Jerusalem and dedicated himself to teaching art.

In Jerusalem, Sima created a remarkable series of portraits of the eccentric poet Else Lasker-Schüler in 1943. In 1949, he co-founded the Jerusalem Artists' House, becoming one of the first participants in its exhibitions. He won the Dizengoff Prize twice (1938 and 1940) and received a medal at the Venice Biennale in 1963. A full member of the Art Academies of Zurich and Florence, his international recognition contrasted with a certain marginalization in Israel during the 1950s and 1970s, a period dominated by the abstract art of the New Horizons movement.

From 1955 to 1977, Sima produced highly expressive color woodcuts that earned him significant European recognition. Among his most notable works is Beggars Sleeping Outdoors (1959), a large polychrome print reflecting his constant concern for the underprivileged.

Miron Sima died on December 20, 1999, in Jerusalem. He bequeathed his estate to the Ein Harod Art Museum, which now holds a significant portion of his work. Since his death, Israel has rediscovered the importance of his expressionist work in the history of Israeli art. A visual arts prize now bears his name, perpetuating his memory and encouraging young artists.