Selma Sandler

When considering Selma Sandler's prints, it is important to understand the context of printmaking as a medium. An original print is conceived as a print, created solely as a print, and usually produced in a numbered edition, each one signed by the artist. Each print in the edition is an original, made from a plate, stone, screen, block or other matrix created for that purpose. The artist decides the number of prints in the edition. The Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada (PADAC) has defined an original print as: "... an image that has been conceived by the artist as a print and executed solely as a print, usually in a numbered edition, and signed by the artist... Each print in the edition is an original, printed from a plate, stone, screen, block or other matrix created for that purpose." Understanding these definitions can help you to appreciate the artistry and value of Sandler's prints. The intent of the visual statement distinguishes an original print from a reproduction. If the intent is to replicate an image best created as a drawing or painting, it is a reproduction. The intent to make an original print is an achievement of art.

Selma Sandler was associated with Abstract Expressionism, an American art movement that gained international recognition in the 1940s and 1950s. Originally called the "New York School", Abstract Expressionism is often linked to Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Abstract Expressionists shared a common outlook, characterised by a spirit of revolt and a belief in freedom of expression. Their approach involved working spontaneously, sometimes referred to as Action Painting. They often dispensed with preparatory drawings, creating gestural marks and shapes intuitively, fuelled by their subconscious minds. Although Abstract Expressionism is associated with male artists, many women were also part of the movement. However, they were often marginalised and denied solo exhibitions. Despite this, female Abstract Expressionists created bold works using a range of nontraditional methods in painting, printmaking, collage and sculpture.

Selma Sandler (born 1926) is known for her work in painting, printmaking, and drawing. She often combines techniques to create mixed media pieces. Sandler's prints include etchings, screenprints, and lithographs. These are sometimes printed on unusual materials, such as silk. Her approach to printmaking is experimental; she often manipulates the surfaces of her plates and screens. This adds texture and unique qualities to the finished prints. In painting, Sandler works primarily with acrylics and watercolours. Her paintings often feature bold colour combinations and abstract forms. She builds up layers of paint to create depth and complexity. In her drawings, she uses a variety of media, including charcoal, pastels, and coloured pencils. She often combines drawing with painting or printmaking techniques. This blurring of boundaries between media is a characteristic aspect of her artistic practice.

Selma Sandler was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1927. Her family fled to Ecuador in 1939 to escape the Nazi regime. She studied art at the College of Fine Arts in Guayaquil. Sandler moved to London in 1951; she continued her art education at Saint Martin's School of Art. She became known for her abstract paintings and prints. Her work often explores themes of displacement, memory, and identity, reflecting her personal experiences as a refugee. Sandler exhibited her art extensively in the United Kingdom and internationally. Her pieces are held in several public collections, including the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum. She was an active member of the London art scene for many years. Selma Sandler died in London in 2013. Her artistic output is a significant contribution to postwar British art, particularly in its engagement with themes of exile and cultural hybridity.

To view works similar to Selma Sandler's, consider museums with Art Deco collections. In the United States, these include the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art (Winter Park, Florida), the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (Richmond), and the Wolfsonian at Florida International University (Miami Beach). In Canada, visit the Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto). In the United Kingdom, you might see similar works at the Bakelite Museum (Williton), Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Geffrye Museum (London), Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Edinburgh), or the Victoria & Albert Museum (London).

Selma Sandler was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1926. Her family's history is connected to Buczacz, a town then in eastern Poland (now Buchach, Ukraine), where her father had a business. Sandler and her family were affected by the events of the Second World War. After the German annexation of Austria in 1938, they fled to Poland. However, their situation remained precarious. They were forced into a ghetto before being deported. Her parents and brother died in the Holocaust. Sandler survived Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, and other camps. After liberation, she spent time in a displaced persons camp in Sweden. Later, she emigrated to the United States, settling in Philadelphia. She became known for her artwork, which often dealt with themes related to her experiences during the war. She died in 2009, leaving behind a body of work that explores memory, loss, and survival.

Selma Sandler's work is important because it provides insight into the complex negotiation of identity after the Second World War. Jewish artists in America faced a difficult situation. Attempting to assimilate into modern American identity, many distanced themselves from European Jewish traditions. However, the horrors of the Holocaust forced them to confront their heritage. The extermination camps on Polish soil, such as Chełmno, Sobibor, Bełżec, Treblinka and Auschwitz-Birkenau, were difficult to ignore, especially as many had relatives in those regions. Some female artists of Jewish heritage, such as Helen Frankenthaler, did not see their gender or background as a problem. Others, like Joan Mitchell and Grace Hartigan, seemed enraged by their femininity. The early 1950s saw figures like Ethel Rosenberg, whose Jewish identity was associated with foreignness and perceived threats to American ideals. The contrast between Rosenberg and the popular character Molly Goldberg, the friendly, non-political Jewish mother, shows the complex and often contradictory expectations placed on Jewish women at the time.

Selma Sandler was born in 1917. Selma Sandler died in 2005, aged 88.

Selma Sandler died in 2005 at the age of 88.