Rafael
Chvoles (1913-2002)
Chvoles was
born in Vilnius, Lithuania. He studied at the Vilnius
Academy of Fine Arts and with Marian Kulesza, Mosze
Lejbowski, and Alexander Szturman. He began exhibiting in 1933 at the
Exhibition of Young Artists’ Works in Vilnius. He exhibited
in Geneva in 1935 at the International Exhibition of Jewish
Painting, and in Warsaw, Białystok, Druskininkai, and Riga. His
first one-man show (one of over twenty arranged during his life
time) was opened in Vilnius, in 1938.
Chvoles taught painting at Jewish schools. From 1940, he was
director of the Naujoji Vilnia Art School. During World War II,
due to the nazi persecution, he was forced to flee to Russia.
After the withdrawal of the German troops from the city, he
returned to paint in the ruins of the ghetto, forming
large-scale series, “Ghetto” and “Architecture of Old Vilnius”.
From 1945 to 1948 he showed his works in Vilnius, Kaunas, and
Moscow.
In 1959 he settled in Warsaw. He created a great many
illustrations for Jewish books, posters, and a series of monotypes,
“Biblical Motifs”.
The Polish Post-Office issued postcards after
the artist’s works. In 1964 Chvoles was elected president of the
Central Cultural Commission of Polish Jews. On the UNESCO
instructions he traveled through Spain and Morocco, creating a
series based on the motif of childhood (UNICEF issued postcards
of his works). He participated in the exhibitions, “The Warsaw
Ghetto” (Stockholm, 1961), “Contemporary Polish Artists” (Tel
Aviv, 1965), and “Contemporary Artists” (London, Ben Uri
Gallery, 1966).
In 1969 Chvoles established himself in Paris. He engaged in
Jewish cultural life, participated in group exhibitions
“Contemporary Art Balance” in Paris (1979), Quebec (1980–1981),
New York (1982), and Dallas (1983).
Chvoles’ works can be found in a great many world museums:
Lithuanian Art Museum, M.K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art,
National Museum of Lithuania, Tretyakov Gallery, National Museum
in Warsaw, Jew Museum in Warsaw, City Museum in Cracow, Yad
Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, Museum of Ghetto Fighters in Israel,
Sholem Aleikhem Museum in Tel Aviv, and in private collections
in Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, and Israel.
Rafael Chwoles was honoured with the European Academy of Arts
Medal (1981), the City of Paris Medal (to mark the 50 th
anniversary of his creative work, 1983), the Manger Prize
(Israel, 1994), the Sholem Aleikhem Prize (Israel, 1995).
In 2000, a monogram dedicated to Rafael Chwoles’ work was
published in French, Yiddish and English in Tel Aviv.