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    Artist

  • Schames, Samson, 1898-1967

    • Title

  • Mizrah

  • Physical Description

    1 etching : red ink on paper ; 14" x 11" (35.5 cm x 28.5 cm)

  • Date

    1924

  • Notes

    Signed and numbered 24 (probably the date 1924) in lower right corner.

    On the back of the frame's backing board is written the title and artist's name, and features an address label for the artist's home in Forest Hills, NY.

  • Summary

    Stylized image of a ship on a swirling, foaming sea. The ship is decorated with four Magen Davids. The word "Mizrah" in Hebrew is featured on the sail.

  • Subject

    Ceremonial objects; Expatriate artists

  • Medium

    Prints

  • Accession Number

  • URL

Biographical/Historical Information

Samson Schames hailed from one of the oldest Jewish families in Frankfurt. Trained in the Staedelschule, he worked in graphics, textiles, set design, and oils. After 1934 when Jews were no longer allowed to display their work, he became a member of the newly founded Cultural Association of German Jews and created set designs. In 1939 Schames emigrated to Great Britain, where he joined the Free German Cultural Association in London. At the outbreak of World War II, he was interned as an enemy alien near Liverpool and took this involuntary stay as an opportunity to develop new art techniques in unconventional media, mostly detritus found in the camp. After his release, Schames volunteered for the Civil Defense and recorded his experience in a series of paintings called Bombed-Out London, depicting the London blitz. In 1948, Schames and his wife emigrated to New York, where he enjoyed a successful artistic career.

Related Works in the LBI Catalog

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Citation

Schames, Samson: Mizrah, Leo Baeck Institute, 2021.04.