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Notes

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'Refugees' is a rare, important early painting, thought lost for over 60 years. Herman destroyed most of the works from this period in 1948, considering it too influenced by Chagall. Blue was the dominant colour of these years, used as a nostalgic evocation of a lost Warsaw. Like much of Herman’s Glasgow work, this painting draws on his eastern European Jewish heritage. However, the refugees also represent the wider displacement of peoples uprooted and forced into exile by the Second World War's upheavals. The cat symbolizes the family’s unknown fate with a mouse dangling from its jaw. The figures' treatment reflects Herman’s admiration for Käthe Kollwitz, while the fearful child with her hand in her mouth is reminiscent of Goya. Among other works from this early period are the sketch 'Musicians' (c.

Ben Uri Gallery & Museum

London

Title

Refugees

Date

c.1941

Medium

gouache on paper

Measurements

H 47 x W 39.5 cm

Accession number

2014-01

Acquisition method

purchased with the assistance of the ACE/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and Art Fund through Conor Macklin of the Grosvenor Gallery, 2014