There has been a noticeable and very welcome increase, within the last few years, in the number of Eastern European countries not only expressing interest in the Bridgeman Art Library archive but also becoming our regular clients.  We are delighted to be able to respond to the requests we receive from many different sectors and provide them with an extensive range of images, whether traditional or contemporary.  

Dora Holzhandler is one of our Polish contemporary artists who has enjoyed a  remarkable career and has recently had her work licensed for posters and in the programme for a National Theatre production in Warsaw, Stories for Children by Isaac Bashevis Singer. 

Inside of programme featuring The Peaceful Kingdom, 1990		Inside of programme featuring The Park in Autumn, 1990

As the play is essentially about Jewish family life, the client had originally approached Bridgeman to license images by Chagall, but Elizabeth Lubienska, Account Manager for Eastern European clients, suggested Dora Holzhandler as a viable and interesting alternative. 

Born in Paris to Polish Jewish refugee parents and described by the art critic Eric Newton as a 'temperamental primitive' there are definite similarities to be made between Chagall and Dora Holzhandler and Dora admits that he has exerted a profound influence upon her work.

The Walk by Marc Chagall (1887-1985) State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia		Mother and Child in Snow, 1985

Family and ritual life, as embodied in memory, are central to Dora Holzhandler's production. She does not draw or paint directly from life or make preliminary studies but finds her subjects in her rich visual imagination. This lends a certain naivety to her work - her faces are childlike in execution but are surrounded by motifs reminiscent of Polish folk art, Persian miniatures and Byzantine mosaics, giving them a medieval, mystical feel. This is further enhanced by her figures often being set in landscapes of verdant Eden-like gardens or jewel-like interiors. 

"Dora Holzhandler grasps life and celebrates it. She sees us clearly; for her all is sacred, all is aflame with divine power." Sister Wendy Beckett

112 images by the artist are available to view on the Bridgeman website.

To discuss any projects related to Eastern Europe please contact: elizabeth.lubienska@bridgeman.co.uk