Dailininko Sidnėjaus Gelfando kelionė nuo Viekšnių iki Amerikos

LTStraipsnyje siekiama ne tik pristatyti dailininko Sidnėjaus Gelfando biografiją, kūrybinę ir parodinę veiklą, bet ir atskleisti kol kas mažai tyrinėtą dailininko ryšį su Lietuva bei ištirti jo kūrybinį palikimą Lietuvoje ir už jos ribų. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Sidnėjus Gelfandas, dailė, Viekšniai, Niujorkas, parodos. [Iš leidinio]

ENBefore the Second World War, a large number of Jewish painters were born and raised in Lithuanian towns and settlements. Some of them, upon leaving their homeland, became famous and are presently well known in Lithuania, while some other Jewish expatriate artists are still waiting for recognition. Sydney (Joshua) Gelfand (1911-1997), who left Viekšniai for the State of Ohio, is also almost unknown in the Lithuanian art world. The article aims to present the biography as well as creative and exhibition activities of painter Sydney Gelfand, to reveal his so far little studied relationship with Lithuania, and to explore his creative heritage both in Lithuania and abroad The Gelfand family emigrated to Cincinnati in 1925. Sydneys father Samuel Gelfand did not speak English and therefore could not continue his career as a dentist. In 1927, Samuel, his wife Esther, and his daughter Sonia decided to return to Viekšniai, where he opened a dental office. Only Gelfands eldest sons, Sydney and Nathan, stayed in Cincinnati. Samuel, Esther, and Sonia were murdered in Mažeikiai in 1941. In 1927, Sydney Gelfand finished Hughes High School in Cincinnati. At school, the young man wrote essays and poems and made drawings for a student magazine. Several of his poems with illustrations were published in The Cincinnati Enquirer, a Cincinnati newspaper. In 1927 through 1933, Gelfand studied at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. During the day, the young man attended the academy, and at night worked in the on-call pharmacy to support himself.In 1931 and in 1932, he received scholarships that allowed him to continue his education at the academy Gelfand first took part in an exhibition in 1929, while in the period between 1931 and 1933, his as a students works were accepted for annual exhibitions at the Cincinnati Museum of Art. Mary L. Alexander, a regular Cincinnati art reviewer, noticed and appreciated the young mans work. In 1933, Gelfand received American citizenship and returned to the hometown to visit his parents. He painted about 50 works in Viekšniai, which he presented in his first solo exhibition in Kaunas in 1934. Later those works were demonstrated in solo exhibitions in New York and Washington. In 1935, Gelfand returned to New York, and in the years 1936 through 1937 studied at the National Academy of Design in New York. When the Second World War broke out, he served in the Navy for three years and worked as a cartographer. After settling in Washington after the war, he received his undergraduate degree from the Corcoran School of Art and Design. In 1953 to 1973, he lived in Baltimore and later moved to California. Gelfand died in San Diego on 15 May 1997 at the age of 86. Lithuanian museums have no works of Gelfand. Foreign museums also boast only small collections, although since 1929 Gelfand participated in ten group exhibitions and held twelve solo exhibitions. [From the publication]