us-005578-irn50723-irn5785
has end date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1964-12-31
type: RecordSet
title: Albert Dov Sigal woodcut richly colored in white and golden browns featuring a woman in a heavy white robe presenting gifts to a king
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
results or resulted from: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn50723-irn5785/acquisitions/1
has or had identifier: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/units/us-005578-irn50723-irn5785/alternateIDs/1
history: The woodcut was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992 by Rose Sigal Ibsen, the wife of Albert Dov Sigal.
scope and content: Woodcut created by Albert Dov Sigal in 1964 depicting a densely colored image of the Queen of Sheba, covered with a long white robe and veil, with attendants presenting gifts to King Solomon, who stands on a red raised platform. In 1939, Sigal was arrested by the fascist, antisemitic Romanian government and assigned to a forced labor battalion that repaired and built roads and railways. He started an underground art school with a group of friends and was active in the Romanian resistance. On December 27, 1947, he and his family sailed from Burgas, Bulgaria, towards Palestine aboard the Aliyah Bet illegal immigrant ship, Pan York. Palestine was ruled by the British under a United Nations mandate and the postwar immigration policy was very restrictive. Ships attempting to bring unauthorized refugees to the country were stopped and the passengers were interned. Sigal, his wife, Rozi, and their young son, Daniel, were imprisoned in a detention camp on Cyprus on December 31, 1947. Because his son was only 18 months old, Sigal and his family were permitted to enter Palestine on February 22, 1948. On May 14, the state of Israel was established and, within six months, all the refugees on Cyprus were welcomed into the Jewish homeland.
physical characterisitics and technical requirements: Woodcut print in white, brown, and red ink with gold leaf on rectangular thick paper. In the foreground are indistinct figures outlined in white and shaded with brown suggesting a figure, an amphora, and a lion’s head. In the left middle ground stand 2 robed figures, with a third in brown garments kneeling and holding in upraised palms a bag painted in gold leaf. In the center is a kneeling figure wearing a white and brown accented veil and robe with a long train. A bearded man in a crown and white and gold/brown robes stands right of center on a dark red carpeted platform, one arm outstretched towards the veiled central figure. A gold and brown robed servant stands behind him; and there are several robed figures in a line in the background. The wall in the background is of dark brown and red brick and stone, highlighted with gold leaf. The artist’s signature and a date are inscribed on the front. On the reverse is a taped photo corner.
has record set type: Item
has beginning date: http://lod.ehri-project-test.eu/dates/1964-01-01
has or had holder: us-005578
history: Albert Dov Sigal was born in 1912 in Cluj-Napoca (Koloszvar), in the Transylvania region, when it was part of Hungary and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the aftermath of World War I (1914-1918), it was conquered by Romania. His parents were Helen and Moses Sigal and he had a sister, Eda. His father died when he was three years old and though his mother worked hard to provide for the family, life was difficult and food was scarce. His family was not religious, though he attended synagogue. But from a young age, he was fascinated by the more joyful, communal life of the devout Hasidim. He joined the Maccabi Hatzair, a Zionist youth and sports organization. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts, specializing in painting, enameling, and copper engraving. In 1933, he moved to Bucharest. Albert exhibited widely and his work was acquired by the National Museum in Bucharest. But by 1939, he could not get work. He was arrested and made part of a forced labor battalion that repaired and built roads and railways. He had a near-fatal construction accident and then bribed Romanian authorities to keep him from heavy forced labor, until a non-Jewish Romanian artist friend got him a position in a local museum, Pinacoteca Statului. He joined with a group of artists, led by Maxi, to begin an underground art school. Romania had a long tradition of vicious antisemitism which was emboldened by the rise of Nazi Germany. Following years of near civil war, General Antonescu and the fascist Iron Guard seized power in late 1940. Jewish businesses were confiscated, property destroyed, and physical attacks and the murder of Jews became commonplace. In January 1941, there were pogroms throughout the country; the one in Bucharest had events of great savagery, such as the assembly and murder of dozens of Jews, including Albert’s uncle-in-law, in the slaughterhouse. In mid-1941, he married Rozi Cohn, who was active in the Zionist movement, Hanoar Hatzioni. She was born on August 22, 1922, in…
record resource extent: overall: Height: 10.000 inches (25.4 cm) | Width: 13.875 inches (35.243 cm)
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
identifier: irn5785
is or was included in: us-005578-irn50723