Jan LEBENSTEIN (1930-1999), Untitled, 1976

ink, pen, gouache, paper; 50 x 70 cm;
Signed and dated l. d.: Lebenstein 76 (in ink);
Author's dedication p. d.: Pour Madame et Monsieur Des Lauriers tres aimeesment Lebenstein (in ink faintly legible);

Extremely personal composition by Jan Lebenstein bearing a handwritten dedication to Prof. Guérard des Lauriers, head of the psychiatry department at Paris's Hospital de la Salpetriere. In the background one can see the hospital building where Lebenstein was treated. The drawing comes from the collection of Professor Guérard des Lauriers' son.
Jan Lebenstein was a graduate of the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts in the studio of Artur Nacht-Samborski. He made his debut in 1955 at the National Exhibition of Young Visual Arts "Against War - Against Fascism" at the Warsaw Arsenal. In 1955-1959, he created "Drawn Figures," then "Hieratic Figures" to finally take the form of the so well-known "Axial Figures." In 1959, the artist emigrated to Paris. At the same time, Lebenstein's "Axial Figures" were presented at the First Paris Biennale. Then, the artist received the main prize and in 1961 a monographic exhibition of the painter was organized at the Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Almost simultaneously there was a show of works in New York. This was a time when informel in painting was becoming a thing of the past and pop art was entering the arena of international art.In such conditions, the search for new trends in art, Jan Lebenstein's painting was an extraordinary discovery and proved the great individuality of the artist. The artist enjoyed visiting the basement of the Louvre, which housed a fascinating and inspiring collection of archaic civilizations. This prompted the painter to create his own "zoology lesson," a private mythology in which he emphasized the animal nature of man.
Elaborated. based on: "Jan Lebenstein: Warsaw - Paris. Works from 1956-1972," catalog accompanying the exhibition at the Zachęta National Gallery of Art, ed. by P. Kłoczkowski, A. Szewczyk, Warsaw 2010.