Else Berg (19 February 1877, Ratibor – 19 November 1942,

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 ...

) was a German-born Dutch painter of Jewish descent; associated with the Bergense School. She was married to the Dutch painter,

Mommie Schwarz Samuel Leser Schwarz, known as Mommie (28 July 1876 – 19 November 1942) was a Dutch Jewish painter and graphic artist. He also worked as a designer of book covers. In 1920, he married Else Berg. Together they became an artistic couple and were ...

. She and her husband were both murdered in

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

Biography

Berg was born in Ratibor which was then part of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

province of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

. Her father was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Jew and owned a cigar factory. In 1895, she began her studies at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. Five years later, with the financial support of her parents, she continued at the

Berlin University of the Arts The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...

,Profile @ the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie where she studied with

Arthur Kampf Arthur Kampf (28 September 1864 in Aachen – 8 February 1950 in Castrop-Rauxel) was a List of German painters, German painter. He was associated with the Düsseldorf school of painting. Life Kampf studied under Peter Janssen, among others, ...

. According to some sources, she also studied 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 ...

. In 1905, she met Mommie Schwarz, who had recently returned from New York and had come to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

to study

German Expressionism German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...

. They went to Paris together to have a look at the latest artistic trends there. The following year, they settled in Amsterdam and became part of the

Modern Art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

movement. For many years, they travelled together, although they kept separate studios. In 1920 they were married and, four years later, she became a naturalized Dutch citizen.Brief biography
@ Schilderijen Site. Despite financial difficulties, they continued to travel throughout Eastern Europe, Italy and France. They also had an extended stay on

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, with

Leo Gestel Leo Gestel (11 November 1881, Woerden – 26 November 1941, Hilversum) was a Dutch painter. His father Willem Gestel was also an artist. Leo Gestel experimented with cubism, expressionism, futurism and postimpressionism. Along with Piet Mondrian a ...

and his wife, where they took up

Cubism Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...

. As the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s came to power, many of their friends and family left for England or the United States. Initially, they felt safe in Amsterdam, but they refused to wear the "

Yellow Badge Yellow badges (or yellow patches), also referred to as Jewish badges (german: Judenstern, lit=Jew's star), are badges that Jews were ordered to wear at various times during the Middle Ages by some caliphates, at various times during the Medieva ...

" when it became mandatory and went into hiding in

Baambrugge Baambrugge is a village on the river Angstel in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of De Ronde Venen and lies about 14 km southeast of Amsterdam. In 2001 the village of Baambrugge had 925 inhabitants. The built-up ...

. They were apparently betrayed. In November 1942 they were arrested and sent to Auschwitz, where they were murdered shortly after their arrival.

Gallery

File:Else Berg A still life with flowers.jpg, Still-life with Flowers (1916–20) File:Else Berg A mining district near Tilleur, Belgium.jpg, Mining District near Tilleur (c. 1927) File:Else Berg - Zelfportret met penselen (Q28102789) - no frame.jpg, Self-portrait with Brushes (1929) File:Else Berg Portrait of a farmer.jpg, Portrait of a Farmer (c. 1929) File:Else Berg Jongen met speelgoeddieren.jpg, Child with Toy Animals (c. 1930) File:Else berg - portrait of Mommie Schwarz 1936.jpg, Portrait of Mommie Schwarz (1936) File:Else Berg A potter.jpg, A Potter (by 1942)

References

External links

ArtNet: More works by Berg.Else Berg and Mommie Schwarz
@ the

Joods Historisch Museum The (; en, Jewish Museum), part of the Jewish Cultural Quarter, is a museum in Amsterdam dedicated to Jewish history, culture and religion, in the Netherlands and worldwide. It is the only museum in the Netherlands dedicated to Jewish history. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berg, Else 1877 births 1942 deaths 19th-century Dutch women artists 20th-century Dutch painters 20th-century Dutch women artists Dutch women painters Dutch people who died in Auschwitz concentration camp People from Racibórz People from the Province of Silesia German emigrants to the Netherlands Jewish women painters Jewish painters Dutch Jews who died in the Holocaust German Jews who died in the Holocaust

Biography

Gallery

References

Further reading

External links