Jankel Adler received a gold medal at the 1928 German art exhibition in Düsseldorf, marking a high point in his career before the political upheavals of the 1930s forced him into permanent exile. A versatile creator working across Poland, Germany, France, and Great Britain, his practice spanned painting, engraving, and printmaking throughout a turbulent mid-century period.
Early Development and Technical Training
Born in 1895 in Tuszyn, Adler began his formal technical education as an engraver in 1912 under his uncle in Belgrade. By 1914, he relocated to Germany, specifically Barmen, where he studied under Gustav Wiethücher. Following the First World War, he returned to Łódź to co-found the Yung-yidish group. His aesthetic evolved through associations with the Cologne Progressives and the Union of Progressive International Artists, leading to a faculty position at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and mentorship from Paul Klee.
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Adler became a target of the Nazi regime due to his Jewish background and leftist political commitments. In 1932, he publicly opposed National Socialist policies. Following the Nazis' rise to power in 1933, his works were branded as degenerate, and he fled to Paris. He maintained his stance as an anti-fascist throughout his exile, eventually joining the Polish army in France at the start of World War II before receiving a medical discharge in 1941.
Final Years in Britain
After settling in Scotland, he participated in the Kirkcudbright Artists' Colony and produced pieces such as the Venus of Kirkcudbright. He moved to London in 1943 and later relocated to Aldbourne, Wiltshire, supported by patron Jimmy Bomford. During this period, he learned that none of his nine siblings had survived the Holocaust. He died at Whitley Cottage in 1949 and was interred at the Jewish cemetery in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
Stylistic Influences and Technique
His visual language was informed by the structural styles of Picasso and Léger. Adler frequently experimented with non-traditional mediums, including sand admixtures, to alter the texture of his canvases. While his output included abstract compositions, his work frequently returned to Jewish subject matter, documenting cultural themes through the lens of early twentieth-century European avant-garde movements.
Fast facts
- Born: 1895, Tuszyn
- Died: 1949, Whitley Cottage, Aldbourne
- Citizenship: Poland, Germany
- Primary Occupations: Painter, printmaker, draftsperson
- Key Influences: Paul Klee, Picasso, Léger
- Notable Membership: Cologne Progressives
- Burial Site: Jewish cemetery, Bushey, Hertfordshire
Questions readers ask
What happened to Adler's art during the Nazi regime?
The Nazis seized 25 of his works from public collections, and several were displayed in the Degenerate Art Exhibition.
Where did Adler spend his final years?
After living in Scotland, he moved to Aldbourne, Wiltshire, in 1945 where he died in 1949.
Achievements
- Worked as painter, printmaker and draftsperson
