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William Shakespeare was a British poet and playwright and writer.
William's father, John Shakespeare, was a merchant and official in Stratford. There are reports that he was a sailor for a time before joining a theater company in London. Beginning in the 1590s, Shakespeare began writing plays, and in 1593 he published a poem, Venus and Adonis, which became popular. He dedicated it to the Duke of Southampton, who was a philanthropist and patron of talent, and soon his business was booming.
From 1592 to 1600 Shakespeare wrote his dramas and romantic comedies "Richard III", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Romeo and Juliet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Merchant of Venice", as well as the comedies "Much Ado About Nothing", "Twelfth Night" and the tragedy "Julius Caesar". The playwright's business was so successful that he even bought a large house in Stratford. In 1599, Shakespeare became one of the owners, playwright and actor of the new theater "Globe". In 1603 King James took Shakespeare's troupe under his direct patronage. In the mature period, the great playwright turned to tragedies, there were "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear", "Macbeth" and others.
Although in the 19th century researchers had some doubts about the authorship of many of these works, William Shakespeare is considered the greatest English playwright, one of the best playwrights in the world. His plays have been translated into all major languages and to this day form the basis of the world theatrical repertoire, most of them have been screened many times. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Shakespeare remains the world's best-selling playwright, and his plays and poems have sold more than 4 billion copies in the nearly 400 years since his death.
Otto Freundlich was a German painter and sculptor of Jewish origin. A part of the first generation of abstract painters in Western art, Freundlich was a great admirer of cubism.
Hendrik Anthony Kramers was a Dutch theoretical physicist and a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences.
Kramers studied mathematics and physics at Leiden University before being recruited in Copenhagen by future Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr (1885-1962). He tried to understand how electromagnetic waves interact with matter and made important contributions to quantum mechanics and statistical physics. Under Bohr's supervision, Kramers prepared his dissertation.
In 1926, Kramers left Denmark and became a professor of theoretical physics at Utrecht University, and from 1931 he also worked at Delft University of Technology. After the end of World War II, the scientist was active in Europe and taught in the United States.
Kramers' scientific works are devoted to atomic physics, quantum mechanics, solid-state physics, low-temperature physics, physical optics, and the kinetic theory of gases. Together with Ralph de Laer Kronig, he derived important equations relating absorption to the dispersion of light. Kramers' research on X-rays led to the development of equations for determining the efficiency and intensity of X-ray production.
In the 1930s, Kramers worked as an editor of a literary magazine, wrote and translated poetry into Dutch, and was an expert on the works of Shakespeare.
Diego Giacometti was a Swiss sculptor and designer, and the younger brother of the sculptor Alberto Giacometti.
Alma del Banco was a German artist of the first half of the twentieth century of Jewish origin. She is known as a painter and graphic artist and is considered a representative of Art Nouveau.
Alma del Banco, who began her career as an artist rather late, was already a recognized figure of the Hamburg art scene in the early 1920s and one of the founders of the Hamburg Secession art group. At the beginning of her career she was strongly influenced by Cubism, then her artistic style changed, it became less schematic and her work became more meticulous. The artist achieved considerable success in the portrait genre. However, after the Nazis came to power in Germany, she was banned from exhibiting and her work was declared "degenerate art".
Lotte Laserstein was a German-Swedish artist and a prominent representative of German realism.
Lotte was a student at the prestigious Berlin Academy of Fine Arts and became an accomplished realist painter, receiving a gold medal from the Academy for her work. Her first exhibition took place in 1930 at a Berlin gallery. Laserstein worked partly in figurative painting, had apprentices, and illustrated anatomy texts to earn money. She also painted portraits of cosmopolitan, emancipated women as well as self-portraits.
The National Socialist regime forced the artist to leave Germany in 1937 and emigrate to Sweden. Her mother died in a concentration camp. Lotte Laserstein lived in Stockholm until the end of her life, creating over five decades of work, in addition to expressive self-portraits, many moving images of other immigrants, rural landscapes and urban scenes in Sweden.
Lotte Laserstein became a member of the Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and earned a reputation as a popular and respected portraitist. She has approximately 10,000 works in her oeuvre.
Léon Spilliaert was a Belgian artist. He is known for his unique style of symbolism, with many of his works featuring dream-like landscapes, eerie still lifes, and enigmatic figures.
Spilliaert grew up in a wealthy family, and he initially studied architecture before turning to art. He was largely self-taught, and his work was heavily influenced by the Belgian symbolist movement, as well as the works of artists such as James Ensor and Edvard Munch.
Spilliaert was particularly interested in exploring the mysteries of the human psyche, and many of his works reflect a sense of unease or uncertainty. He often used strong contrasts of light and shadow to create a sense of drama and tension in his works, and his use of color was often muted and subdued.
Despite his success as an artist, Spilliaert was a deeply private individual, and he rarely exhibited his work during his lifetime. He continued to work throughout his life, however, producing a large body of haunting and enigmatic works that continue to captivate audiences today.
Jean-Édouard Vuillard was a French artist, celebrated for his role in the avant-garde group Les Nabis. Known for his decorative art and printmaking, Vuillard's work was heavily influenced by Japanese prints, which is evident in his unique style of flattened color planes and simplified forms. His paintings, often of interior scenes, are distinguished by their intimate and domestic subjects, displaying a keen sensitivity to the subtle dynamics of everyday life.
In the late 1880s, Vuillard joined Les Nabis, a group of artists who sought to break away from traditional artistic concepts. This association played a pivotal role in shaping his artistic philosophy. Vuillard’s early works, like "The Seamstresses" (1890) and "Child in an Orange Shawl" (1894–95), demonstrate his evolving style, marked by the use of vibrant colors and a distinct lack of perspective, aimed at exploring spatial relationships.
Vuillard's artistic journey included ventures into theater decoration and interior design. He designed stage sets and theater programs, notably for Lugné-Poe's Theatre de l’Oeuvre, and also worked on large-scale panel paintings for French patrons. His close collaboration with the Natanson brothers, founders of the cultural review La Revue Blanche, was significant in his career. This association brought him various commissions, including decorative works for private homes and public buildings.
Vuillard's art evolved over time, transitioning from his Nabis-style works to more naturalistic portraits in the 1920s and 1930s. Despite this shift, his focus remained on portraying the intricacies of domestic life, often featuring the people closest to him. Notable among his subjects were Misia Natanson, a prominent figure in the Parisian cultural scene, and Lucy Hessel, with whom Vuillard had a long-term relationship.
For art collectors and experts, Vuillard's works are a window into the intimate spaces of Parisian life at the turn of the century. His ability to transform everyday scenes into art makes his work particularly appealing. Pieces like "The Green Interior" (1891) and "Breakfast at Villerville" (1910) are exemplary of his style and are celebrated for their quiet yet profound depiction of ordinary life.
Vuillard's legacy lives on in galleries and museums worldwide. His work remains a testament to the power of domestic scenes in art, capturing the essence of the period with a unique blend of realism and abstraction.
For those interested in the subtle beauty of Vuillard's work, subscribing to our updates will ensure you stay informed about new sales and auction events featuring his art. Our updates are tailored for connoisseurs like you, providing insights into the world of art and antiques, with a focus on Vuillard's enduring legacy.