Théo Tobiasse

THÉO TOBIASSE (Jaffa, 1927 - Cagnes-sur-mer, France 2012).
Untitled.
Lithograph and colors. Copy XV/ LXXXV.
Signed and justified in pencil.
Measurements: 105,5 x 72,5 cm.
Théo Tobiasse was a French artist best known for his expressionist paintings and engravings. Portraying women, men and symbolic iconography with loose brushstrokes and rich colors, Tobiasse's work evokes a Judeo-Christian mysticism similar to the renowned Franco-Russian painter Marc Chagall. Born in 1927 in Jaffa, Palestine (now Israel) to Lithuanian immigrant parents, he and his family moved to Paris in 1931. Tobiasse spent his adolescence studying at the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs while avoiding Nazi forces during World War II. After the liberation of Paris, he began his career as a designer, creating tapestries, stage sets and window decorations for the Hermès company. He went on to achieve international attention and critical acclaim, winning awards such as the Dorothy Gould Prize in 1961. In the 1970s, a visit to Jerusalem inspired him to create a stained glass window for the Jewish Community Center in Nice. The artist died in 2012 in Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.