Yosl Bergner

The Bineth Gallery of Fine Arts, Jerusalem

The painting is in good condition. There is craquelure throughout the blue background, most noticeably in the upper right and lower left quadrants. There is one very minor loss in the lower left corner, and another along the far right edge. Under UV, there are no apparent signs of inpainting.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Yosl Bergner was born in Vienna in 1920 and emigrated to Australia with his family in 1937. There, he studied at the art school of the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. After the World War II, he returned to Europe, but eventually settled in Israel in 1950.

Carmela Rubin explains that Bergner "belongs to the generation of painters who sought to express their art feelings and ideas beyond the anatomical components of painting itself and therefore did not turn to the abstract. At the basis of their approach lies the understanding that the visual image is a more or less aesthetic representation of a meaning beyond it" (Yosl Bergner, a Retrospective, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, April - June 200, p. 286)  

Like an actor at the foreground of a stage, the figure in the present lot sits erect on his horse, arms upraised and poised, facing his audience. The carefully lit background of deep, rich blues give the impression that we, the spectators, are sitting in a darkened theater watching and waiting for a drama to unfold before us.