Ludwig Blum


Ludwig Blum was a Moravian-born Israeli painter. He emigrated to Israel in 1923, as part of the Third Aliyah, and became known as "the painter of Jerusalem".

Early life

Ludwig Blum was born in 1891 in Líšeň, Margraviate of Moravia. He immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1923, as part of the Third Aliyah. He served in the First [World War]. He was privately educated in Vienna and later attended the Academy of [Fine Arts, Prague|Academy of Fine Arts] in Prague.

Career

Upon his arrival in Mandatory Palestine, and as a dedicated Zionist, Blum started paintings scenes of everyday life and landscapes in Israel. He did many paintings of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Sea of Galilee and the Judaean Mountains. Additionally, he painted some kibbutzes: Kiryat Anavim and Degania Alef, and the lives of Israeli soldiers, including the Palmach. He also painted copper mines in the Timna Valley. He also painted the Arch of Constantine in Rome, Italy, and a vase of roses.
Blum became known as "the painter of Jerusalem". In 1933, his painting entitled simply Jerusalem was honoured at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. In 1967, he received the Yakir Yerushalayim from the City of Jerusalem.
In 2011 the Museum of Biblical Art in Manhattan held an exhibition of Blum's paintings.

Death

Blum died in 1974 in Jerusalem.

Selected paintings