Johnny Friedlaender (1912-1992) French, 'Rainbow II' Print. Numbered 34/95 in the lower left. Signed in the lower right. It features a semi-abstract landscape with a prominent rainbow arching across the top. A large, pale moon is positioned near the center, and a small, dark bird-like figure is visible near the edge. The lower portion of the piece depicts a series of layered, geometric shapes and lines, resembling a stylized landscape or cityscape. The overall color palette is muted, with shades of brown, gray, and beige dominating the composition. Proceeds from this sale will benefit students at the Ringling College of Art & Design.
Overall Size: 37 1/4 x 29 3/4 in.
Sight Size: 30 x 22 1/4 in.
#8325 .
Johnny Gotthard Friedlaender was a leading 20th Century artist, whose works have been exhibited in Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Japan and the United States. He has been influential upon other notable artists, who were students in his Paris gallery. His preferred medium of aquatint etching is a technically difficult artistic process, of which Friedlaender has been a pioneer. He was born in Pless (Silesia) in 1912, and his early studies were in Breslau under Otto Mueller. In 1936 Friedlaender journeyed to Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Austria, France and Belgium. At the Hague he held a successful exhibition of etchings and watercolors. He fled to Paris in 1937 as a political refugee of the Nazi regime with his young wife, who was an actress. In that year he held an exhibition of his etchings which included the works: L 'Equipe and Matieres et Formes. From 1939 to 1943 he was interned in a series of concentration camps, but survived. After being freed in 1944 Friedlaender began a series of twelve etchings entitled Images du Malheur with Sagile as his publisher. In the same year he received a commission to illustrate four books by Freres Tharaud of the French Academy. In 1945 he performed work for several newspapers including Cavalcade and Carrefour. In 1947 he produced the work Reves Cosmiques, and in that same year he became a member of the Salon de Mai, a position he held until 1969. In the year 1948 he began a friendship with the painter Nicolas de Stael and held his first exhibition in Copenhagen at Galerie Birch. The following year he showed for the first time in Galerie La Hune in Paris. After living in Paris for 13 years, Friedlaender became a French citizen in 1950. Friedlaender accepted an international art award in 1957, becoming the recipient of the Biennial Kakamura Prize in Tokyo. In 1959 he received a teaching post awarded by UNESCO at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. By 1968, Friedlaender was traveling to Puerto Rico, New York and Washington, D.C. yearly to hold exhibitions. That year he also purchased a home in the Burgundy region of France. 1971 was another year of diverse international travel including shows in Bern, Milan, Paris, Krefeld and again New York. In the latter city he exhibited paintings at the Far Gallery, a venue becoming well known for its patronage of important 20th Century artists. From his atelier in Paris Friedlaender instructed younger artists who themselves went on to become noteworthy, among them Arthur Luiz Piza, Brigitte Coudrain, Rene Carcan, and Graciela Rodo Boulanger. Like Friedlaender, these students were experts in the lithographic and etching arts. He passed away at his home in 1992.
