Ruth Bamberger Painting Black African Woman Culture Modernist Oil on Canvas Portrait Antique Art 1927 Paris Martinique Israel

On offer oil on canvas by Ruth Bamberger of a black woman, possibly from Martinique, painted in Paris and dated 1927. This portrait has real presence, full of life and humanity. It is rare to find a painting of the period that recognizes the personhood of a black sitter as an individual, but this does so emphatically. Beautifully articulated folds of fabric and Matisse-style background -- truly stunning throughout. Ruth Bamberger was born in Switzerland in 1904. She was educated in Europe, notable in Germany and France, and continued study in Israel under Jacob Steinhardt, Isidor Aschheim and Mordechai Ardon. She died in Israel in 1976. She spent some time in New England, producing luminous Cape Cod scenes during the 1950s. When she painted this work she was staying at the Hôtel Lutetia, the hospitality project of Le Bon Marché, as noted on the back of the canvas -- a very impressive address indeed. Below is a listing of her education and gallery shows: Education Art Academ