BENN (Bencjon Rabinowicz)

Born in 1905 in Białystok, a student of Fernand Léger in Paris, Benn (Bencjon Rabinowicz) devoted most of his work to the Bible, the Psalms, and a message of peace that led him to UNESCO. Galerie 125 offers his prints, including the original lithograph "Recherche la paix et cours après" (1966). Discover them above.

Benn (Bencjon Rabinowicz), the Painter of the Psalms

For twenty-six months, during the Occupation, a hidden painter draws Bible verses. From these sketches, a collection titled 62 Psalms and Bible Verses was published in 1960, marking a life devoted to sacred texts. This painter is Benn, the artist name of Bencjon Rabinowicz, one of the endearing figures of the École de Paris.

From Białystok to Fernand Léger's Studio

Benn was born in 1905 in Białystok, then part of the Russian Empire, into a family with an architect and a rabbi. Gifted from an early age, he created sets for Yiddish theater troupes in the 1920s, participated in his city's modernist artistic life, and exhibited in Białystok and Warsaw. In 1929, a scholarship allowed him to move to Paris, where he studied with Fernand Léger. It was then that he adopted the name Benn. He exhibited at the Galerie L'Époque from 1931, then regularly at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Indépendants, and obtained French nationality in 1938, the year of his marriage to dancer and artist Ghera.

The War and the Birth of a Biblical Work

World War II disrupted his life. Excluded from salons like other Jewish artists, he was interned in 1941, then released thanks to support, and lived in hiding until Liberation, protected notably by writer Jean Paulhan. It was in this clandestinity that he began the great cycle inspired by the Psalms, which would become the core of his work.

A Style Between Dream and Meditation

Initially drawn to Cubism, Constructivism, and Expressionism, Benn developed a personal style after 1945, akin to metaphysical painting and Surrealism, often described as poetic realism. His compositions, with great graphic clarity, depict figures and landscapes laden with symbols. A prolific illustrator, he dedicated several works to the Song of Songs, including an album awarded by the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1974, the same year he received the Légion d'honneur.

The theme of peace marked his later years. In 1987, he donated a large mural, Love and Peace, to UNESCO, and the same year he donated 190 biblical oils to the Musée d'art sacré du Gard. Benn died in Paris in 1989.

Acquire an Original Lithograph by Benn

The original lithograph presented above, "Seek Peace and Pursue It," dated 1966, features a verse from the Psalms and perfectly illustrates this luminous spirituality. Its intimate format (20 x 28 cm) makes it an ideal piece to start a print collection from the École de Paris or to give as a gift.

Add the print of your choice to the cart: it will be shipped promptly and accompanied by a gallery certificate. For framing advice, our team remains at your service.

Also discover at Galerie 125: the work of Marc Chagall, another great interpreter of the Bible.