Adam Muszka

Adam Muszka (b. Piotrków Trybunalski 4 March 1914 ; d. Paris January 2005) was a Polish-French painter and sculptor, representing in his works distinctive elements of Jewish life in pre-war Poland and post-war western Europe.

History

Born in 1914 in Piotrków Trybunalski (Poland) to a family of synagogue cantors. At the onset of World War II in 1938, the city had a large share (ca. 50%) of Jewish residents, creating demand for famous cantors like Muszka's father. One of the first wartime Jewish ghettos in occupied Poland, Piotrków saw a large share of its Jewish population detained, then exterminated, including part of the Muszka family. Having however managed to escape to Tashkent (USSR) with his wife, he survived the war and returned to Piotrków, only to find it in ruins. He then moved to neighbouring Łódź where he worked for the next 20 years. Invited to France by the City of Paris in 1967, he settled in France definitely, where he died in 2005.

Works

A large part of his works are still in private hands, but notable paintings can be found at the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, the Ben Uri Gallery in London and the Lodz Museum of Art.

External links

• Muszka's works in Central Jewish Library