André Elbaz
Encyclopedia
André Elbaz is a famous Moroccan
painter
and filmmaker.
Elbaz studied art and theatre in Rabat
and Paris
from 1950 to 1961. He started painting only at the age of 21, until which age he had been interested mainly in theatre. A few years later, he managed to combine his two passions into a new approach in art-therapy, inventing together with his wife, a psychiatrist
, the Pictodrame, which brought him world recognition.
His first exhibition, which was very successful, took place in Casablanca
in 1961 and earned him an appointment as Professor at the Beaux-Arts school in Casablanca. Years later, in 1976, he exhibited his paintings at the Tel-Aviv Museum.
In parallel to his career as a painter, Elbaz is also known as a filmmaker. He produced several short films in France
, Canada
and the United States
. One of them, La nuit n'est jamais complète (The night is never complete), won a prize at the "5th Biennale de Paris
in 1967". Among the themes chosen for the many films he produced, there was a short one about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, as well as a series of drawings entitled Seuls (Alone), with texts written by both Elie Wiesel
and Naim Kattan
. Both the short movie and the drawings were a result of his fascination by Holocaust related themes. This fascination also inspired him for other works that were shown at an exhibition at Yad Vashem
in Jerusalem, in 1985. His paintings are famous for boasting traditional Jewish themes and he often present them in a chiefly expressionist style.
A retrospective of his lifetime achievements and works was held in 1990 at the Georges Pompidou
Center in Paris.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and filmmaker.
Elbaz studied art and theatre in Rabat
Rabat
Rabat , is the capital and third largest city of the Kingdom of Morocco with a population of approximately 650,000...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1950 to 1961. He started painting only at the age of 21, until which age he had been interested mainly in theatre. A few years later, he managed to combine his two passions into a new approach in art-therapy, inventing together with his wife, a psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
, the Pictodrame, which brought him world recognition.
His first exhibition, which was very successful, took place in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
in 1961 and earned him an appointment as Professor at the Beaux-Arts school in Casablanca. Years later, in 1976, he exhibited his paintings at the Tel-Aviv Museum.
In parallel to his career as a painter, Elbaz is also known as a filmmaker. He produced several short films in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. One of them, La nuit n'est jamais complète (The night is never complete), won a prize at the "5th Biennale de Paris
Biennale de Paris
-History:The 'Biennale de Paris' was launched by Raymond Cogniat in 1959 and set up by André Malraux as he was Minister of Culture to present an overview of young creativity worldwide and to create a place of experiences and meetings.-Presentation:...
in 1967". Among the themes chosen for the many films he produced, there was a short one about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, as well as a series of drawings entitled Seuls (Alone), with texts written by both Elie Wiesel
Elie Wiesel
Sir Eliezer "Elie" Wiesel KBE; born September 30, 1928) is a Hungarian-born Jewish-American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He is the author of 57 books, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the Auschwitz, Buna, and...
and Naim Kattan
Naïm Kattan
Naïm Kattan, is a Canadian novelist, essayist and critic of Iraqi Jewish origin.Born in Baghdad, Iraq, he studied at the University of Baghdad from 1945 until 1947 and at the Sorbonne from 1947 until 1951. He emigrated to Montreal in 1954...
. Both the short movie and the drawings were a result of his fascination by Holocaust related themes. This fascination also inspired him for other works that were shown at an exhibition at Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem is Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 through the Yad Vashem Law passed by the Knesset, Israel's parliament....
in Jerusalem, in 1985. His paintings are famous for boasting traditional Jewish themes and he often present them in a chiefly expressionist style.
A retrospective of his lifetime achievements and works was held in 1990 at the Georges Pompidou
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 1962 to 1968, holding the longest tenure in this position, and later President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974.-Biography:...
Center in Paris.
One man show
- 2006 - Retrospective of works from 1986-2005 in Morocco. Rabat/Casablanca (Institut Français),El Jadida (Salle Chaïbia),Fès (Musée Batha)
- 2001 - Remember for the Future Maison Française, Oxford - Galerie La Croix Baragnon, Toulouse
- 2000 - Cinq triptyques en guise de perspective - Mémorial du CDJC, Paris
- 1999 - Le Défit à la Barbarie , Musée Départemental, Epinal- Bibliothèque de l'A.I.U. Parris
- 1993 - Cegep Saint Laurent, Montréal
- 1992 - Sala dei Congressi, Milano ; Casa della Cultura, Livorno - Carlton Center, Ottawa ; Jewish Public Library, Montréal
- 1990 - Biennale du Film d'Art, Centre Pompidou, Paris
- 1990 - Seïbu Gallery, Tokyo
- 1989 - Nishi-Azabu ; Azakloth Gallery, Tokyo
- 1985 - Musée d'Art, Yad Vashem, Jérusalem
- 1984 - Galerie Aut der Land, Munich
- 1976 - Musée de Tel Aviv
- - La Rotonde, Aix-en-Provence ; Centre Edmond Fleg, Marseille
- - Château de Herbeys, Grenoble
- 1975 - Centre Rachi, Paris
- 1972 - Albert White Gallery, Toronto
- 1970 - Terre des Hommes, Montréal
- 1969 - Waddington Gallery, Montréal
- 1965 - Centre Culturel Français, Casablanca
- 1964 - Zwemmer Gallery, Londres
- 1962-63-1965 - Musée de Bab Rouah, Rabat
- 1960 - Balliol College, Oxford
Awards
- 1998 - Prix Mémoire de la Shoah - Fondation du Judaïsme Français
- 1968 - La Nuit n'est jamais complète Lauréat du court métrage - Vème Biennale de Paris.
Salons
- 1973 - Jean Paulhan à travers ses peintres
- 1968 - Nuit Culturelle de Nancy avec Roêl d'Haese, Pierre Schaeffer, René de Obaldia Esposito, Piem.
- 1961-1963-1965-1967 - Biennales de Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne
- 1955-1959 - Salon des Surindépendants - Salon de l'Ecole Française - Salon d'Hiver
- Salon de la jeune Peinture - Musée d'Art Moderne - Paris
Short films and animations
- 1972 - Histoire d'œufs, animation at Montreal
- 1971 - Regard sur la Peinture Américaine, Whitney Museum, New York
- 1970 - L'homme à la Bouteille, Created at the NFBNFBThe acronym NFB may refer to:* National Federation of the Blind, organization representing blind people in the United States* National Film Board of Canada, Canada's public film producer and distributor...
in Montreal at the request of Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
- Les Mobiles chez Calder at MOMA New York - 1969 - Graphiques for " Kaddish " by Léonard Bernstein
- 1966 - La Nuit n'est Jamais Complète, Oratorio "A Survivor from Warsaw " Arnold Schöenberg, Service de la Recherche de l'ORTF - represents France at the Festival du Court-Métrage in Tours
Films
- 1971 - Seuls, Portfolio of 20 sérigraphies, Texts from Elie Wiesel & Naïm Kattan.
- 1991 - De feu et d'exil, Portefolio of 20 serigraphies on the theme of the l'Inquisition, texts from François-Marc Gagnon, Shmuel Trigano & Naïm Kattan
External links
- official site Andre Elbaz, the artist: Comprehensive summary of his life and his work