HENRIK BERLEVI (HENRYK BERLEWI)

HENRIK BERLEVI (HENRYK BERLEWI) (1894-1967)

He was born in Warsaw, and at age twelve he entered the Warsaw Art School at the same time as he attended a middle school.  Later, he studied at the Art Academy in Antwerp and for a certain period of time at the Art Academy of Paris as well.  He was one of the founders of the Yidishe gezelshaft tsu farshpreytn kunst (Jewish Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts).  He organized shows of Jewish artists in Warsaw, and he wrote articles about art for: Ilustrirte velt (Illustrated world), Haynt Today), Folkstsaytung (People’s newspaper), Ringen (Links), Albatros (Albatross), Milgroym (Pomegranate), Literarishe bleter (Literary leaves), and Ilustrirte vokh (Illustrated week), among others.  He drew covers for Yiddish publications.  He wrote in Polish a pamphlet concerning the new methods in figurative art which he dubbed “mechano-faktura” (Warsaw, 1924)—there is a German translation of this work.  He lived until his death in Paris.

Sources: Zalmen Reyzen, Leksikon, vol. 1; Kh. Aronson, in Ilustrirte vokh 63; Berl Kuczer, Geven amol varshe (As Warsaw once was) (Paris, 1955), see index.