Józef Hecht (14 December 1891 – 19 June 1951), also known as Joseph Hecht, was a

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed technique ...

and

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

. Born and educated in Poland, he made Paris his base from 1920. Trained in classical engraving techniques, Hecht was a founder of " Atelier 17", and had a profound influence on 20th-century printmakers.

Career

Born in

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

, Poland, in 1891, Hecht studied at the Art Academy of Kraków from 1909 to 1914. On completion of his studies in Kraków, Hecht visited museums throughout Europe. The outbreak of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

found him in Berlin. Due to the fact that he had done his studies in the Austrian zone in Poland and thanks to prizes obtained at the

Académie des Beaux-Arts The (; ) is a French learned society based in Paris. It is one of the five academies of the . The current president of the academy (2021) is Alain-Charles Perrot, a French architect. Background The academy was created in 1816 in Paris as a me ...

, Hecht was given the option of going to neutral Norway, where he lived from 1914 to 1919. Immediately following the

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

, Hecht traveled to Italy; and two years later to Paris, where he maintained his studio until his death. At this time Hecht became a member of the Salon d'Automne, thereby gaining an entrée into the Parisian art world and a chance to exhibit his work on a regular basis. At his Paris studio, he taught burin-engraving - the classic copper-engraving technique - to many artists, including

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

and

Stanley William Hayter,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n-born British painter and printmaker Dolf Rieser. The year 1926 was a turning point in Hecht's career and heralded the most successful period of his life. He published his first suite of six prints, ''l'Arche de Noë'', which included a preface by the French

symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

Gustave Kahn Gustave Kahn (21 December 1859, in Metz – 5 September 1936, in Paris) was a French language, French Symbolism (arts), Symbolist poet and art critic. He was also active, via publishing and essay-writing, in defining Symbolism and distinguishin ...

and was exhibited in December that year at the Paris gallery ''Le nouvel essor''. Hecht's future collaborator, mystical narrator André Suarès, wrote a laudatory catalogue article. The images that Hecht developed at this time found renewed vigor in 1928 when Suarès and Hecht collaborated on the folio, ''Atlas''. In ''Atlas'' Hecht began to re-combine images and forms he had previously studied—a working method that he refined throughout his life. In 1927 Hecht's encouragement of Hayter's printmaking activities led to the establishment of ''Atelier 17'', a cooperative printmaking studio, which endures to this day in Paris as ''Atelier Contrepoint''. The "

Atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or vi ...

" influenced artists

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

Marc Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, Drafter, draftsman and Printmaking, printmaker, who was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced ...

and others. In 1929 Hecht became a founding member of the group, ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine'', which staged annual group shows and was influential in keeping the spirit of printmaking alive. Hecht also associated with members of ''Les Peintres-Graveurs Indépendants'', founded in 1923 by J. E. Laboureur and

Raoul Dufy Raoul Dufy (; 3 June 1877 – 23 March 1953) was a French painter associated with the Fauvist movement. He gained recognition for his vibrant and decorative style, which became popular in various forms, such as textile designs, and public build ...

. It is doubtful that Hecht knew each member of these groups, but it is probable that he was familiar with their work and they with his, and that this provided an opportunity for the exchange of techniques, subjects, and ideas. Hecht was an intermediary between the

avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...

artists of Atelier 17 and more traditional

s. Between 1926 and 1938 Hecht's engravings were published in various collections (see Chronology), his work was widely shown, and it gained critical acclaim. Hecht won two gold medals at the 1937 Paris World's Fair.

Later career and death

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

descent, Hecht left Paris before the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to live in the Savoy region near the Swiss-Italian border, where he worked as an

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

laborer. After the war Hecht returned to Paris. Hayter, who had moved Atelier 17 to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for the duration of the war, returned to Paris and found his old friend in poor health and out of work. To encourage Hecht to take up engraving again, Hayter brought a large

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

plate to Hecht's studio and began working on it. Hecht could not resist, and together they produced the

collaborative Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The f ...

print, "''La Noyee''". With renewed enthusiasm, Hecht began producing numerous engravings, while also developing new methods for printing in

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

. Hecht died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

in his Paris studio on 19 June 1951.

Chronology

1891 Born on 14 December in Lodz, Poland.
1909 Enters the ''Académie des Beaux-Arts'' in Kraków, Poland.
1914 Graduates from the ''Académie des Beaux-Arts''.
Following graduation, travels in Europe, visiting museums, spends a brief period studying in Berlin, then goes to Norway at the outbreak of World War I.
1917 Exhibition at Christiania, Norway.
1918 Exhibitions in Oslo and Bergen, Norway.
1919 Travels to Italy.
1920 Moves to Paris. Becomes a member of the ''Salon d'Automne'' and begins to exhibit with them.
1921 Begins to exhibit at the ''Salon des Indépendents''. Exhibition at Washington, D.C.
1923 Exhibitions in Philadelphia, at the '' Salon des Tuileries'' and the ''Galerie Le Nouvel Essor'', Paris.
1926 Publishes ''l'Arche de Noë'', a suite of six engravings with a preface by

; ''l'Eubage aux Antipodes de l'Unité'', five engravings with prose by

Blaise Cendrars Frédéric-Louis Sauser (1 September 1887 – 21 January 1961), better known as Blaise Cendrars (), was a Swiss-born novelist and poet who became a naturalized French citizen in 1916. He was a writer of considerable influence in the European ...

. Exhibitions at ''Galere Berthe Weil'', Paris, and at ''Galerie Le Nouvel Essor'', Paris. Meets Stanley William Hayter.
1927 Helps Hayter establish ''Atelier 17'', Paris. Writes an unpublished treatise on engraving.
1928 Publishes ''Atlas'', a suite of six engravings with a poem by André Suarès. Exhibitions in The Wanamaker Galleries, New York, and at Lodz, Poland.
1929 Publishes ''Croquis d'Animaux'', ten engravings. Exhibition at Gallery Georges, London. Founding member of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
1930 Exhibition at ''Galerie Berthe Weil'', Paris.
1931 Exhibition of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
1932 Exhibition of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
1933 Publishes Paris, a suite of eleven engravings. Exhibition of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
Exhibition in San Francisco.
1934 Exhibition of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
1935 Exhibition of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
1936 Exhibition of ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine''.
1937 Wins two gold medals at the International Exposition, Paris.
1938 Publishes ''Nouveaux Croquis d'Animaux'', ten engravings. Begins work on London suite while visiting his sisters.
Exhibitions in Johannesburg and Pretoria, South Africa.
1939 Exhibits in group show at ''Petit-Palais'', Paris.
1941 Exhibition in Paris.
1941–1945 Works as an agricultural laborer in the Savoy region of France. Without access to a press, all work takes the form of drawings or paintings.
1944 Exhibition at ''Galerie Denise René'', Paris.
1946 Resumes printmaking at the urging of Hayter.
1949 Invents a new relief printing process.
1950 Publishes ''Quelques Aventures de Maitre Renart'', with engravings.
1951 Dies of a heart attack in his studio in Paris, 19 June.
Posthumous Exhibitions
1952 ''La Jeune Gravure Contemporaine'', Paris.
1959 Bazalel Museum, Jerusalem.
1966 ''Galerie Berie'', Paris.
1968 Municipal Library, Mulhouse, France.
1969 Lumley Cazalet, Gallery, London.
1985 Dolan/Maxell Gallery, Philadelphia.
1998 ''Arsène Bonafous-Murat'', Paris.

Public Collections

Bibliothèque Doucet; Bibliothèque Nationale; British Museum; Brooklyn Museum; Cabinet d' Amsterdam; Caterby Jones Collection; Chalcographie du Louvre; Cincinnati Museum of Art; Delft Museum; Hague Museum; Leeds Museum; Leyde Museum; Library of Congress; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Musée d'Amiens; Musée des Ars Décoratifs, Paris; Musée de Belfort; Musée Carnavalet; Musée de Céret; Museum of Copenhagen; Musée du Luxembourg; Musée de Montpelier; Musée de Mulhouse; Musée de Nantes; Musée du Petit-Palais; Museum of Tel-Aviv; National Gallery of Art, Washington; New York Public Library; Philadelphia Museum of Art; University of Warsaw; Victoria and Albert Museum.

Bibliography

Books: * Adhémar, Jean; Lethève, Jacques; and Gardey Fraçoise. ''Inventaire du Fonds Françis après 1800''-Vol. 10. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale, 1958. * Bersier, Jean-Eugène. ''La Gravure''. Paris: Berger-Levrault, 1963. * Black, Peter; and Moorhead, Desiree, ''The Prints of Stanley William Hayter: A Complete Catalogue''. Mount Kisco, NY: Moyer Bell Ltd., 1992. * Gross, Anthony. ''Etching, Engraving and Intaglio Printing''. London: Oxford University Press, 1973. * Hayter, Stanley William. ''New Ways of Gravure''. London: Oxford University Press, 1966. * Hayter, Stanley William. ''About Prints''. London: Oxford University Press, 1962. * Tonneau-Ryckelynck, Dominique; and Plumart, Roland, ''Joseph Hecht 1891-1951: Catalogue Raisonné de l’Oeuvre Gravé''. Paris: Editions de Musée de Gravelines, 1992. * Roger-Marx, Claude. ''French Original Engravings from Manet to the Present Time''. New York: Hyperion Press, 1939. Periodicals: Hopkinson, Martin. "Two Bookplates by Joseph Hecht", Print Quarterly, XXVIII, 2011, 448-50. Buckand-Wright, John. "Modern French Engraving," ''Studio'', CXXXVIII (December, 1949), 177-181. Descargues, Pierre. "Joseph Hecht," ''Evidences'', (September–October, 1951), 39-41. Descargues, Pierre. "Contemporary Artists-Joseph Hecht," ''ARTS'', (15 September 1951). "Joseph Hecht à la galerie Bernier," ''Les nouvelles de la Bibliothèque Nationale'', (1985). Kahn, Gusrave. "Les arts-Joseph Hecht," ''Menorah'', (1926), 286. Laboureur, J. E. "The Revival of the Burin in France," ''Creative Art'', V (December, 1929), 881-84. Lévy-Gurman, Anny. "Le Animaux de Joseph Hecht," ''Art et Décoration'', LXI (February, 1934), 44-48. Roger-Marx, Claude. "Contemporary French Prints," ''Parnassus'', IX (February 1937), 15+. Schwab, Raymond. "Souvenirs sur Hecht," ''ARTS'', (7 December 1951). Suarès, André. "Atlas-Gravure de Joseph Hecht," ''Montparnasse'', No. 52 (July–August, 1928), 1, 3. Catalogues: * Bonafous-Murat, Anne. ''Joseph Hecht 1891-1951 Gravures''. Paris: Arsène Bonafous-Murat, 1998. * ''Gravures et Livres de Joseph Hecht''. Mulhouse: Bibliothèque Municipale de Mulhouse, 1968. * Moser, Joan. ''Atelier 17''. Madison: University of Wisconsin, 1977. * Roosevelt, Michael A. ''Joseph Hecht''. Philadelphia: Dolan/Maxwell Gallery, 1985. * Suarès, André. ''l'Ymagier de l'Arche''. Paris: Le Nouvel Essor, 1926.

Notes

External links

Reuben and Edith Hecht Museum

University of Haifa The University of Haifa (, ) is a public research university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963 as a branch of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation as an inde ...

History of Engraving

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Artists Who Have Worked at Atelier 17 (1927-1955)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hecht, Jozef 1891 births 1951 deaths 20th-century Polish engravers Polish printmakers Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts alumni Atelier 17 alumni Polish emigrants to France Artists from Łódź