Obj. ID: 35346  Der Ber (The Bear), Kiev, 1919

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Immediately after the Russian revolution, the sudden relative freedom in the cultural sphere led to a Renaissance of Jewish interest in graphics based on Jewish tradition. Several of the Jewish artists in Russia began to illustrate both covers and interior graphics for books of Jewish content. Much of this new art work was done in a modernist mode. Among the publications were a number of books for children, of which this is an example. This particular example was illustrated by arguably the most famous of all these artists of the time, El Lissitzky.
117. LISSITZKY, El [Lazar Markovich] (1890-1941) (illustrator) and "Uncle Ben Zion" [RASKIN]. Der Bar [The Bear]. Kiev and St. Petersburg: Yidisher Folks Ferlag, 1919. 12pp., small 4to bound in 6s (215 x 167 mm). Illustration to first page, 8 other illustrations, all after Lissitzky. Folded and stapled. This isa the first and only edition of this rare yiddish children's book illustrated by lissitzky. Although they have been largely ignored until recently, Lissitzky illustrated a number of delightful avant-garde Yiddish children's books. In 1919, he and Raskin signed a contract with Yidisher Folks Ferlag in Kiev to produce eleven titles in their "Kinder Gartn" or Kindergarten series. Only three (including Der Bar) were published. The cover of each title sports the same abstract picture of a rooster on a roof crowing. Lissitzky's playful child-like drawings adroitly combined traditional and modernist elements. The "removed" stamps indicate that book was banned in 1948 when Stalin outlawed Yiddish and Hebrew. Consequently few of these fragile pamphlets survive.

Apter-Gabriel 94.est. $8000 – $12000Sold for $7500 Sale NY021, 4th December 2008