Erna ROSENSTEIN (1913 - 2004), Untitled.

ink, watercolor, gouache, paper; 29 x 20.5 cm (sheet size);
Signed p. g.: Erna Rosenstein.

PROVENANCE:
- private collection, Warsaw since 2013,
- private collection, Cracow (1969 - 2013).

Erna Rosenstein's paintings are compared to works associated with the Surrealist trend. Despite living in Warsaw, the artist was strongly connected with the Krakow creative community. As a member of the Krakow Group, she presented her compositions at the Krzysztofory gallery. At the same time, she exhibited at the Krzywe Koło gallery in Warsaw. She also took part in two important Krakow shows: The First Exhibition of Modern Art and the "Nine" exhibition organized in 1955. She shared a strong relationshiṕ with Jonasz Stern. The war years, her stay in the Lviv ghetto and the time of occupation had a strong influence on the artist̨.
Erna Rosenstein's works arę characterized by poeticism̨. Small sized boards or works on paper made in mixed techniques with elements of collage often formed part of a larger composition - an installation. During an exhibition organized by the Central Bureau of Art Exhibitions in Warsaw in 1967, one could seé small padded boxes in which the artist hung her paintings, a closet̨ full of works or a spacé divided by walls into small intimate zones conducive to contemplation.
In 2014, Warsaw's Królikarnia (a branch of the National Museum) hosted̨ an exhibition that was an attempted̨ retrospective titled "Overlapping." At the same time, a monograph on the artist was published̨ "Erna Rosenstein. I can̨ repeat́ only unconsciously" compiled by Dorotą Jarecka and Barbarą Piwowarska.