Jan Lebenstein

JAN LEBENSTEIN (b. 1930 – d. 1999)
He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw under the guidance of Prof. Artur Nacht Samborski. He made his debut at the exhibition in Warsaw Arsenal in 1955 winning the Jury Award. In 1959 he received the Grand Prix at the 1st International Biennale of Young Artists in Paris. From that moment the painter lived in France.
The dominant motif  in Levenstein’s works was the belief that the way to modernity in art goes through processing tradition. He always admired the relics of ancient Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations in the Louvre Museum. He also sought inspiration in ancient mythologies and religious books. In 1976 he was awarded the Prize from Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation in New York, and in 1987 he received the Jan Cybis Award.