Boris Schatz
Encyclopedia
Boris Schatz (בוריס ש"ץ) was a Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who founded the Bezalel School
in Jerusalem.
, Kaunas
district, Lithuania
, under the rule of the Russian Empire
in 1867. His father, a teacher in a cheder
(a religious school), sent him to study in a yeshiva
in Vilnius
, Lithuania. left the yeshiva a short time later to study painting and sculpture in Vilnius (1882–1887) and Warsaw
, Poland
(1888–1889). In 1889, he moved to Paris to study at the Académie Cormon and noted artists there, among them Mark Antokolski
whom he knew from Vilnius.
Schatz was married to Louise. His daughter Zahara Schatz
(1916–1999) and son Bezalel Schatz (1912–1978), nicknamed Lilik, were also artists. The 1955 Israel Prize
for Art was awarded to Zahara in recognition of the whole Schatz family.
While living on the shore of the Sea of Galilee
in exile form Jerusalem during the First World War, Shatz wrote a futurist novel entitled The Rebuilt Jerusalem in which Bezalel ben Uri
, the Biblical artist appears at the Bezalel School and takes Schatz on a tour of Israel in the year 2018.
Schatz died while on a fundraising tour in Denver, Colorado
in 1932.
to become the official court sculptor and to establish that country's Royal Academy of Art
. In 1900, he received a gold medal for his statue, Bust of an Old Woman.
Three years later, in 1903, he met Theodor Herzl
and became an ardent Zionist
. At the Fifth Zionist Congress of 1905, he proposed creating a Jewish art school. In 1906 he founded an art center in Jerusalem, later named "Bezalel" after Bezalel Ben Uri
, the biblical
artisan who designed the Tabernacle
and its ritual objects. In the following years, Schatz organized exhibitions of his students' work in Europe
and the United States
; they were the first international exhibitions of Jewish artists from Palestine.
Schatz, a fiery visionary, wrote in his will: "To my teachers and assistants at Bezalel I give my final thanks for their hard work in the name of the Bezalel ideal. Moreover, I beg forgiveness from you for the great precision that I sometimes demanded of you and that perhaps caused some resentment ... The trouble was that Bezalel was founded before its time, and the Zionists were not yet capable of understanding it." Schatz's will was publicized for the first time in 2005.
at the turn of the century, Schatz purchased three buildings from by a wealthy Arab. One was used as his residence and the other two became the Bezalel art school, based on the Russian concept of an arts and crafts school and workshop. Bezalel's motto was "Art is the bud, craft is the fruit."
In the wake of financial difficulties, the school closed in 1929. Schatz died while fundraising on behalf of the school in the United States. His body was brought back to Jerusalem and buried on the Mount of Olives
. Bezalel reopened in 1935 as the New Bezalel School for Arts and Crafts.
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is Israel's national school of art, founded in 1906 by Boris Schatz. It is named for the Biblical figure Bezalel, son of Uri , who was appointed by Moses to oversee the design and construction of the Tabernacle ....
in Jerusalem.
Biography
Boris Schatz was born in VarniaiVarniai
Varniai , is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai. It was established in the 14th century, on the bank of the Varnelė River, near an important Samogitian castle. It was the center of Samogitian Catholic church: after the baptism of...
, Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
district, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, under the rule of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
in 1867. His father, a teacher in a cheder
Cheder
A Cheder is a traditional elementary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.-History:...
(a religious school), sent him to study in a yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania. left the yeshiva a short time later to study painting and sculpture in Vilnius (1882–1887) and Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(1888–1889). In 1889, he moved to Paris to study at the Académie Cormon and noted artists there, among them Mark Antokolski
Mark Antokolski
Mark Matveyevich Antokolski was a Russian sculptor who was admired for psychological complexity of his historical images and panned for occasional lapses into sentimentalism.-Biography:...
whom he knew from Vilnius.
Schatz was married to Louise. His daughter Zahara Schatz
Zahara Schatz
Zahara Schatz , was an Israeli fine and decorative artist and daughter of Boris Schatz, who founded the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, as it is known today, in Jerusalem.-Biography:...
(1916–1999) and son Bezalel Schatz (1912–1978), nicknamed Lilik, were also artists. The 1955 Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for Art was awarded to Zahara in recognition of the whole Schatz family.
While living on the shore of the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
in exile form Jerusalem during the First World War, Shatz wrote a futurist novel entitled The Rebuilt Jerusalem in which Bezalel ben Uri
Bezalel
In Exodus 31:1-6, Bezalel |transcribed]] as Betzalel and most accurately as Beẓal'el), is the chief artisan of the Tabernacle. Elsewhere in the Bible the name occurs only in the genealogical lists of the Book of Chronicles, but according to cuneiform inscriptions a variant form of the same,...
, the Biblical artist appears at the Bezalel School and takes Schatz on a tour of Israel in the year 2018.
Schatz died while on a fundraising tour in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
in 1932.
Art career
In 1895, Schatz accepted an invitation from Prince Ferdinand of BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
to become the official court sculptor and to establish that country's Royal Academy of Art
National Academy of Arts
The National Academy of Arts is an institution of higher education in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned academy of arts in the country....
. In 1900, he received a gold medal for his statue, Bust of an Old Woman.
Three years later, in 1903, he met Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl
Theodor Herzl , born Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl was an Ashkenazi Jew Austro-Hungarian journalist and the father of modern political Zionism and in effect the State of Israel.-Early life:...
and became an ardent Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
. At the Fifth Zionist Congress of 1905, he proposed creating a Jewish art school. In 1906 he founded an art center in Jerusalem, later named "Bezalel" after Bezalel Ben Uri
Bezalel
In Exodus 31:1-6, Bezalel |transcribed]] as Betzalel and most accurately as Beẓal'el), is the chief artisan of the Tabernacle. Elsewhere in the Bible the name occurs only in the genealogical lists of the Book of Chronicles, but according to cuneiform inscriptions a variant form of the same,...
, the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
artisan who designed the Tabernacle
Tabernacle
The Tabernacle , according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites...
and its ritual objects. In the following years, Schatz organized exhibitions of his students' work in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; they were the first international exhibitions of Jewish artists from Palestine.
Schatz, a fiery visionary, wrote in his will: "To my teachers and assistants at Bezalel I give my final thanks for their hard work in the name of the Bezalel ideal. Moreover, I beg forgiveness from you for the great precision that I sometimes demanded of you and that perhaps caused some resentment ... The trouble was that Bezalel was founded before its time, and the Zionists were not yet capable of understanding it." Schatz's will was publicized for the first time in 2005.
Bezalel art school
On his first visit to PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
at the turn of the century, Schatz purchased three buildings from by a wealthy Arab. One was used as his residence and the other two became the Bezalel art school, based on the Russian concept of an arts and crafts school and workshop. Bezalel's motto was "Art is the bud, craft is the fruit."
In the wake of financial difficulties, the school closed in 1929. Schatz died while fundraising on behalf of the school in the United States. His body was brought back to Jerusalem and buried on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
. Bezalel reopened in 1935 as the New Bezalel School for Arts and Crafts.
Awards
- 1898 silver medal in Science and Art, SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria - 1900 gold medal for Bust of an Old Woman
- 1900 silver medal at Exposition Internationale, Paris
- 1904 silver medal at 1904 Louisiana Purchase ExpositionLouisiana Purchase ExpositionThe Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
, St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, USA
Published works
- On Art, Artists and their Critics (in Hebrew), 1924
- The Rebuilt Jerusalem: The Rebuilt Reality (Heb.: Yeruslalayin HaBanuyah) (in Hebrew), Jerusalem: Bezalel Academy, 1924
Further reading
- Schatz, Boris (1925). Boris Schatz His Life & Work a Monograph, Jerusalem: B'nai Bezalel. ISBN 1-135-29826-2
- J. Klausner (1927). Boris Schatz : 31 oil paintings (in English and Hebrew), Jerusalem
- Nurit Shilo-Cohen, ed. (1983). "Betsal'el" shel Shats, 1906-1929 / Bezalel, 1906-1929, translated from Hebrew into English by Esther Rosalind Cohen, Jerusalem: Israel Museum
- Yigal Zalmona (1985). Boris Schatz (in Hebrew), Jerusalem: Keter Publishing House Ltd.
- Nurit Shilo Cohen (1994). "The 'Hebrew Style' of Bezalel, 1906–1929", Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, vol. 20, pp. 140–163
- Dana Gilerman (5 January 2006). "Prof. Schatz's wayward children," HaaretzHaaretzHaaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
- Meir Ronnen (20 July 2006). "The last Schatz," The Jerusalem Post
External links
- SCHATZ, BORIS in the Jewish EncyclopediaJewish EncyclopediaThe Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...
.