אוסף יוחנן אשכול
Yochanan Eshkol Collection
David Meshulam
1930 - 1987
Born in Kyostendil, Bulgaria, and immigrated to Israel alone as a guide to the Haganah in 1948.
Fought and seriously injured in Derera, in the War of Independence.
At the end of his military service he began studying sculpture in the Tel Aviv Art Midrasha, with sculptor Moshe Sternschus, of the artists’ team members, and then continued to study painting at the Avenues Institute, among others with painters Yezekiel Streichman and Avigdor Stimatsky.
Later in the early 1960s he went to Paris and continued his art studies at the Higher National School of Fine Arts (The Boz-R of Paris), where he presented at several exhibitions, among others at the Paris Biennale in 1961 and 1963, in the Autumn Salon in 1963 and the young painter's salon in 1964.
Later he exhibited in Tel Aviv and at the General Exhibition of Israeli Artists at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
In 1966 he presented a solo exhibition at the Beit Dizengoff Museum,and in 1970 he returned to Paris at the Serret-Fauveau.
Throughout the 60s and 70s he taught painting and craft at the Primary School Joseph Galilee in Tel Aviv, and taught painting and sculpture at the Tel Aviv Museum in Children's Circles. In the 1980s he taught painting at the Institute of Stones and in private circles at his home. Continuing publishing art books and painting until his death in 1987.
Most of Meshem’s creation is surreal style. He belonged to the new figurative painters of the 50s, and based the human figure in his works on a particular situation appropriate style, allowing him to develop situations that range between comedy, tragic and absurd. He remains loyal to this style also beyond stylish changes and extreme changes in the picturesque concept itself.
Within the body of work there are about 1,000 paintings, sculptures and litographies, as well as books and albums of his works.
Awards
Awarded the Dizengoff Award for painting in 1963,
Eugene Colb Award for Israeli Graphics from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 1965.
Oil on Canvas. Signed. Date Unknown
Pen on Paper. Signed. date Unknown
Bulgaria 1939 - 1948
During the 1940s, Jewish life in Bulgaria was drastically impacted by increasingly discriminatory policies and eventually, the threat of deportation. While Bulgaria was not fully aligned with Nazi Germany, it did implement anti-Jewish measures and faced pressure to deport its Jewish population. Despite these challenges, a significant number of Bulgarian Jews were saved from deportation through various forms of resistance and public outcry, resulting in one of the highest survival rates of Jewish populations in Axis-occupied Europe.
Initial Discrimination and Legislation:
1939:
Foreign Jewish citizens were forced to leave Bulgaria.
1940:
Bulgarian authorities began enacting discriminatory policies, including restricting Jewish people's rights to public service, residence, and occupations, according to the Holocaust Encyclopedia.
January 1941:
The "Law for the Protection of the Nation" further restricted Jewish rights, defining them as "foreign elements" and restricting their ability to vote, work in government, serve in the military, and own land, according to the World Jewish Congress.
1942:
A Commissariat for Jewish Affairs was established to coordinate anti-Jewish measures, further restricting Jewish rights and freedoms, according to Sciences Po.
Threat of Deportation and Resistance:
March 1943:
Bulgarian authorities deported 11,343 Jews from Bulgarian-occupied regions of Northern Greece, Yugoslav Macedonia, and Pirot to Vienna and then to extermination camps in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Spring 1943:
A plan to deport 48,000 Jews from Bulgaria proper was initiated but halted due to protests and pressure from government members, public figures, and prominent religious leaders.
Internal Deportation and Forced Labor:
While the deportation out of the country was stopped, Sofia's Jews were internally deported to the countryside and had their property confiscated, while Jewish males were conscripted into forced labor.
The "Rescue" and Aftermath:
August 1943:
Prime Minister Filov determined that, absent a German victory, it was no longer feasible to deport the Jews out of the country.
1944:
The prospect of Allied victory and international pressure eased conditions for the remaining Jews, according to Taylor & Francis Online: Peer-reviewed Journals.
September 1944:
Soviet forces entered Bulgaria, ensuring the safety of the Jewish population.
Post-war:
The "Law on Settling the Property Issues Derived from the Revocation of the Anti-Jewish Laws" provided for restitution of confiscated property