Jacob Otto Pins (17 January 1917 – 4 December 2005) was a German-born
Israeli
Israeli may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel
* Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel
* Modern Hebrew, a language
* ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008
* Guni Israeli ...
woodcut artist and art collector, particularly of Japanese prints and paintings.
Biography
Jacob Pins was born in
Höxter
Höxter () is a town in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on the left bank of the river Weser, 52 km north of Kassel in the centre of the Weser Uplands. The main town's population is around 15,000, and with outlying centres, about 30,0 ...
, Germany, the son of Dr Leo Pins, a
veterinarian
A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...
, and his wife Ida Lipper. He
immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
in 1936 to study art. His father tried to discourage him from becoming an artist for financial reasons.
Pins's younger brother, Rudolph, (1920–2016)
moved to the United States in 1934. His father was sent to
Buchenwald
Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or su ...
. In July 1944, both parents died in the
Riga ghetto.
Pins first lived on a kibbutz, which was disbanded in 1941. He moved to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and studied woodcut and linocut under woodcut master and painter
Jacob Steinhardt
Jacob Steinhardt (1887–1968) ( he, יעקב שטיינהרדט) was a German-born Israeli painter and woodcut artist.
Biography
Jacob Steinhardt was born in Zerkow, German Empire (now Żerków, Poland). He attended the School of Art in Berli ...
, also a German immigrant, at his small private school. He lived in poverty in a tiny room, subsisting on a meagre diet. He continued his studies at the new
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ( he, בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest ...
.
Pins was married to Elsa, the subject of a number of his prints. They had no children.
Pins bought his first Oriental print in 1945, and acquired a house on Ethiopia Street, opposite the Ethiopian church, where he lived for the rest of his life. He continued collecting until his death and was one of Israel's foremost art collectors. His book on Japanese
Pillar prints, ''Hashira-e'' is the definitive work on the subject.
Pins died in Jerusalem in December 2005.
Art career
Pins' artwork was heavily influenced by
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 ...
and traditional Japanese wood block printing. From 1956 to 1977, he taught at Israel's leading art schools, most notably Bezalel, where he later became a professor. He was known as a demanding teacher, emphasizing strong technical skills and discipline.
In the 1950s, Pins helped to found the Jerusalem Artists' House, a centre for the city's artists to meet and exhibit.
Legacy
Pins' extensive collection of Japanese woodprints, paintings and sculptures was left to the
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...
, where it forms the Jacob Pins Collection. Most of his own artwork was left to his home town and the
Forum Jacob Pins museum opened there in 2008.
Nimrod Erez made a feature-length documentary about Pins, and this is in the permanent collection of
MOMA
Moma may refer to:
People
* Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist
* Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician
* Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher
Places
; Ang ...
, New York. A shorter documentary is on exhibition at the Jacob Pins Forum, Höxter.
Exhibitions
Jacob Pins: Woodcuts:
Herzliya Museum of Art, December 92 – January 93
Published works
*Jacob Pins Woodcuts. Exhibition catalog, Boston, Boston Public Library, 1953. Paperback, 15 pp with six black and white woodcuts.
*Master woodcuts by Jacob Pins. Oblong octavo, staples paper covers, 12pp., b/w illustrations. Introduction by Ruth Eis. A short catalog of the exhibition, May 5 – June 30, 1974, Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, California, 1974
*The Japanese Pillar Print, Hashira-e London Robert G Sawers Publishing, 1982, 389 pages, 14 pages in color and 1039/XXV11 illustrations in black and white.
*The Pins Collection: Chinese and Japanese paintings and prints. Israel Museum, Israel, 1980
*The Jacob Pins Collection of Japanese Prints, Paintings and Sculptures. Israel Museum (Jerusalem) 1994 ().
See also
*
Visual arts in Israel
Visual arts in Israel refers to plastic art created first in the region of Palestine, from the later part of the 19th century until 1948 and subsequently in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories by Israeli artists. Visual art in Israel ...
References
External links
Jacob Pins Gesellschaft, Höxter website (in German only)The Jacob Pins Collection in the Israel Museum, Jerusalemfrom www.passportland.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pins, Jacob
1917 births
2005 deaths
People from Höxter
People from the Province of Westphalia
Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Mandatory Palestine
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design alumni
Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design faculty
Israeli artists
Israeli art collectors