Benn ( 1905 – Paris ) Polish Painter Park In Saint-germain-en-laye Oil/canvas 54 X 65 Cm

Benn, pseudonym of Bencjon Rabinowicz, born April 19, 1905, in Białystok and died in 1989, was a French Jewish painter of Polish origin, associated with the School of Paris. Benn's grandfather was a rabbi and his father an architect. In 1926, Bencjon became a theater set designer, and a year later, his first exhibition of drawings was held in Vilnius. In 1928, he joined the Polish Association of Visual Artists and exhibited that same year at the Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw and at the Białystok Winter Salon. Around 1929, he co-founded the Białystok group of visual artists, "Forma – Farba – Faktura" (Form – Color – Technique). In 1930, he received a scholarship from the Białystok town hall, allowing him to spend three years in Paris, where he studied at the Fernand Léger Academy. Upon arriving in France, he adopted the pseudonym "Benn," which would become his official surname for the rest of his life. In 1932, Benn met the dancer and actress Ghera, whom he married in 1938, simultaneously acquiring French citizenship. In 1941, Benn and his wife were interned in a transit camp, but upon their release, they went into hiding for twenty-six months. During this time, Benn created a series of 62 works inspired by biblical motifs. After the end of hostilities in 1944, he settled permanently in Paris and resumed his artistic work. It was probably in 1945 or 1946 that he traveled to Białystok for the last time, searching for his relatives, all of whom had disappeared during the war. In 1949, he partnered with Marc Chagall to found a painting and sculpture business. In 1966, the association "Friends of the Work of the Painter Benn" was established. Towards the end of his life, he bequeathed his collection of works to the city of Rueil-Malmaison, and in 1987, he donated 190 paintings to the Gard Museum of Sacred Art. This museum houses the most important collection of works related to the artist's life and work.