Theo TOBIASSE - Leda and the Swan, original signed lithograph (1985)

Théo Tobiasse : (1927-2012) was a french painter, lithographer and sculptor of Lithuanian origins, who was born in Jaffa in 1927. Heir of Marc Chagall, he is today the first representative of the Jewish school. His "pictural words", blend with recurrent themes such as exiles, or erotic fantasies. His works are filled with crowds, women, children, sun and stars intermingled together, with warm colours, in joyful compositions. His application to the Ecole nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris was rejected during WWII because of his jewish origins. In 1950, he settled in the South of France. In collaboration with Pierre Chave, lithographer in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Théo Tobiasse élaborated a technique to make lithographs with 18 colours. He would thus make a lot of original lithographs edited in France, Sweden or the USA: Songs of Songs (1975), Paris, Fleur de Bitume, Hommage à H.C. Andersen (1980), Parfum d’Odalisque (1982). He learned as well the carborundum engraving technique, that was invented by Henri Goetz for Let My People Go (1981). The exodus of his family, and the exodus of the Jewish people is one of his favourite subjects, such as beloved towns (Paris, Jérusalem, New York, Venise), the Old Testament and Erotism (Daphnis et Chloé (1978), Portrait de femme immobile dans l'extase, (1978), Pomme de sexe créature dont la peau brûle et les bras se tordent (1980)...). His works are conserved in several museums : The Rosenblum collection (France), Musée d'art Moderne et contemporain de Nice (MAMAC) (France), The National Museum of Art, Osaka (Japan), CIAC Centre international d'art contemporain du château de Carros (France), Haggerty Museum at Marquette University (USA).