Abraham Joseph Berline (5 October 1893 in Nishyn – 1942) was a Ukrainian artist who lived in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and died during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Abraham Joseph Berline was born on October 6, 1893, in

Nizhyn Nizhyn ( uk, Ні́жин, Nizhyn, ) is a city located in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine along the Oster River. The city is located north-east of the national capital Kyiv. Nizhyn serves as the administrative center of Nizhyn Raion. It ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(today in

Chernihiv Oblast Chernihiv Oblast ( uk, Черні́гівська о́бласть, translit=Chernihivska oblast; also referred to as Chernihivshchyna, uk, Черні́гівщина, translit=Chernihivshchyna) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. T ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

). He was the son of Leib Berline and Hana Kaganoff. In 1912, at the age of 19, he emigrated to Paris to study at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. He supported himself by driving a taxi and every place he saw figured in his landscapes. His work was highly regarded and exhibited at the most prestigious Parisian salons:

Salon d'Automne The Salon d'Automne (; en, Autumn Salon), or Société du Salon d'automne, is an art exhibition held annually in Paris, France. Since 2011, it is held on the Champs-Élysées, between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, in mid-October. The f ...

Salon des Indépendants Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

Salon des Tuileries The Salon des Tuileries was an annual art exhibition for painting and sculpture, created June 14, 1923, co-founded by painters Albert Besnard and Bessie Davidson, sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, architect Auguste Perret, and others. The first year's e ...

, the Paul Appel Gallery, and in private galleries. When

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

was invaded, Berline joined the Resistance, but in May 1941 Berline was arrested in the Billet Vert operation and interned as a Russian Jew in

Compiègne internment camp Compiègne (; pcd, Compiène) is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. It is located on the river Oise. Its inhabitants are called ''Compiégnois''. Administration Compiègne is the seat of two cantons: * Compiègne-1 (with 19 ...

. He continued to produce work, mainly pastels, focusing on the beauty of nature, in an attempt to transcend the camp experience through art. These paintings were shown in the camp along with other artists' work. After seven months he was transferred to

Drancy internment camp Drancy internment camp was an assembly and detention camp for confining Jews who were later deported to the extermination camps during the German occupation of France during World War II. Originally conceived and built as a modernist urban commu ...

, and from there to

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

, as was his wife Doucia—never to return. His works are included in the art collection of the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine in Paris.

References

External links

Hecht Museum - Abraham Berline
at mushecht.haifa.ac.il -

Hecht Museum The Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum is a museum located on the grounds of the University of Haifa, Israel. History The Hecht Museum was established in 1984 by Reuben Hecht, director of Dagon Silos and a founding member of the University of Haifa ...

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...

- Learning about the holocaust through art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berline, Abraham 1893 births 1942 deaths People from Nizhyn Ukrainian Jews Jews from the Russian Empire 20th-century Russian painters Russian male painters Jewish painters Modern painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century Russian male artists 20th-century French male artists French male painters Jews in the French resistance French people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp Soviet civilians killed in World War II Resistance members who died in Nazi concentration camps French Jews who died in the Holocaust