WCEE Exhibition. “The Art of Memory in Paintings by Felix Lembersky”

Felix Lembersky (1913-1970) was a painter, theater stage designer, teacher, and leader of artistic groups. He began his career within the Soviet Avant-Garde in Ukraine before studying realist painting in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). Throughout his life he worked across realist and modernist styles that fell outside of Soviet-mandated Socialist Realism. His Execution: Babyn Yar series (ca. 1944-52) is the earliest known artistic representation of Babyn Yar, a Holocaust massacre site in Kyiv. For political reasons, these paintings, along with his later nonconformist work, were barred from exhibition in the Soviet Union. 

Having witnessed two world wars, the 1917 revolution, and political terror, Lembersky reflected on these experiences with candor while imbuing his work with hope and optimism. He was drawn to vulnerable, neglected, and marginalized people: children, the elderly, ethnic minorities, and industrial workers subjected to harsh labor and dangerous conditions. Regardless of their circumstances, Lembersky  portrayed his subjects with empathy, dignity, and admiration.  

Exhibit curated by Yelena Lembersky, granddaughter of Felix Lembersky, and Geneviève Zubrzycki, WCEE Director.

Works on loan from the private collection of Yelena Lembersky.