28 Facts About Lippy Lipshitz

Israel-Isaac Lipshitz, known as Lippy Lipshitz was a South African sculptor, painter and printmaker.

Lippy Lipshitz is considered to be one of the most important South African sculptors, along with Moses Kottler and Anton van Wouw.

Israel-Isaac Lipshitz was born on 8 May 1903 as the second son of Shlomeh Josef Lipshitz of Dvinsk and Chayah Meray Faktor of Plunge, Lithuania.

Lippy Lipshitz left his wife and the infant with the maternal grandfather Yankeh Fivah Faktor for the next four-and-a-half years.

Lippy Lipshitz's grandfather had built the synagogue in Plungian, and it was in the decorative art of the synagogue that Israel first felt the impetus to artistic expression.

Lippy Lipshitz developed friendships with painter Russel Harvey and sculptor Moses Kottler.

In 1925 Lippy Lipshitz met the Russian Jewish sculptor Herbert Vladimir Meyerowitz, who arrived from Berlin and was appointed lecturer at Michaelis School of Fine Art.

Lippy Lipshitz derived considerable benefit from this relationship as he learned from Meyerowitz's skill in woodcarving.

Lippy Lipshitz received an introduction to West African sculpture from Meyerowitz, who lent him a copy of Carl Einstein's Negerplastik, an art-historical piece on primitivism.

Towards the end of 1928, Lippy Lipshitz decided to further his education in Paris.

Lippy Lipshitz married Rachil Sief on 8 May 1928 and soon after made his departure for the City of Lights thanks to a grant from Ernest Oppenheimer.

Lippy Lipshitz enrolled in the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere where he studied under Antoine Bourdelle, onetime assistant to Rodin.

Lippy Lipshitz rented a studio in the rue Bardinet and some work was accepted for the Salon d'Automne of 1929, marking the beginning of his professional career.

When Rachil Lippy Lipshitz returned to Cape Town in February 1930, Isaac remained in Paris for another two years, producing the body of work eventually shown at his first one-man exhibition in Cape Town in 1932.

Lippy Lipshitz returned to Cape Town in March 1932, settling in Barnett Street near the Company's Garden.

Lippy Lipshitz installed his studio in Castle Street, with painter Christopher Williams and set about organising his first solo exhibition of sculptures and drawings, which was to take place at the Martin Melck House on 16 May 1932.

Lippy Lipshitz found vociferous opposition to the Modern Movement and critics, like Bernard Lewis writing for The Cape, dismissive of all that it produced.

That young artists felt compelled to defend Lippy Lipshitz's work was a first sign that they were organising themselves in opposition to establishment figures like Edward Roworth, then president of the South African Society of Arts.

Lippy Lipshitz's father was DC Boonzaier, the cartoonist and connoisseur, and the family home was frequented by artists like Pieter Wenning, Gwelo Goodman and Moses Kottler; even Bernard Lewis the critic.

Lippy Lipshitz had exhibited at the Royal Academy, with the London Group and the New English Art Club.

Lippy Lipshitz formed a working association with painter Cecil Higgs, exhibiting together at 52 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch, in September 1938, in collaboration with Rene Graetz and Maggie Laubser.

Lippy Lipshitz attacked him in a speech to The People's Club, quoted in full in Trek on 7 November 1940.

In 1932 Lippy Lipshitz had become friends with Expressionist painter Wolf Kibel and they leased premises at 18 Roeland Street, Cape Town, which they restored and named Palm Studios.

Lippy Lipshitz left South Africa in May 1947, taking up a studio belonging to Lady Nicholson in Glebe Place, Chelsea, London.

Lippy Lipshitz worked for six weeks and participated in the Gimpel Fils Summer Exhibition.

Lippy Lipshitz met sculptors Henry Moore and Jacob Epstein, spending some time with the latter in his studio.

Lippy Lipshitz's works were acquired by other major collection in Southern Africa, and in June 1964, he was awarded the medal for sculpture by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, followed in October 1964 by an Associate Professorship at Michaelis.

Lippy Lipshitz emigrated to Israel in 1978, where he died in 1980.