Joseph Hirsch, Israeli, born Germany, 1920-1997 Joseph Hirsch was born in Beuthen in Upper Silesia, Germany, in 1920 (now in Poland). His family was religious and Zionist. In his youth he studied drawing privately.

In 1939 he made Aliyah to the Land of Israel and began studying free graphics at “Bezalel.” From 1945-1960 he lived in Haifa, where he worked as a sign painter. In 1962 he received compensation from Germany. Thanks to this money, he was able to devote himself to painting and drawing for two years.

In 1964 he began to teach at Bezalel. After his retirement from Bezalel in1981, he began to re-identify with Jewish tradition. Hirsch’s drawing focused on still lifes and portraits.

His early work from the 1959s depicts grotesque images, emphasizing graphic elements. His later work uses patches of color to depict his figures and still lifes. For the most part he worked in diluted ink (of various colors), which he sometimes combined with watercolors.

Among his best-known works are The Prayer (before 1957) and his drawings of figures from the 1980s and 1990s.

Education 1939-41 Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, with Mordechai Ardon

Teaching 1964-81 Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, Drawing Awards And Prizes 1980 Artist-in-Residence, The Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France 1983 Jerusalem Prize, Municipality of Jerusalem 1987 The Israel Discount Bank Prize for an Israeli Artist, Israel Museum, Jerusalem 1989 Mordechai and Shoshana Ish-Shalom Prize, Artists' House, Jerusalem