Frequently Asked Questions
How did the paintings survive the Holocaust?
In the years after the Second World War, George J. Rynecki, Moshe Rynecki's
son, wrote about his memories of the war. The following is an excerpt from
George's memoir. This explains how some of his father's paintings survived
the war:
This is how my father attempted to save his paintings through the
Second World War. The Germans were already in Warsaw.
He packed the canvases and paper paintings into bundles. Some which were
framed he took out. Some canvases he had to roll into scrolls. He then
divided the parcels and entrusted them to 10 Polish, so called, friends.
He gave me a list, my sister one, and of course, my mother knew also where
the paintings did go.
My father didn't live through the war. He was deported to Majdanek
in 1943 by German gestapo and murdered. My sister was murdered in 1943
in Warsaw. I was after the
war in Italy.
My mother was the one who with the help of a cousin of mine, Sophie Binstock,
found [the paintings] in Prague in a cellar
across the river Vistula from Warsaw, which
my mother eventually brought to me in Italy. This is how I still have the
paintings which I brought with me to the USA at the end of 1949 - Miracle.
[Please note that the reference to “Prague”
in the second paragraph refers to the district of Warsaw known as Praga
- To see a map of Warsaw's
various districts and to learn more about the districts, visit the Travel Online Internet City
Guide for Warsaw.]
Are the paintings for sale?
No, they are not for sale. However, we're thrilled to hear that you like
the paintings so much that you'd like to buy one!
Are there prints of the paintings available for purchase (e.g., books,
posters, notecards)?
YES! We are thrilled to announce the publication
of two books:
The book, Jewish
Life in Poland: The Art of Moshe Rynecki (1881-1943) is a twenty-eight
page, full-color book. Some of the
forty paintings included in the book are: Krasinski
Park, Synagogue Interior, Reader, The Wedding, Luna Park, The Chess Players,
The Factory, The Water Carriers, Forced Labor, and In the Shelter.
The book, Surviving
Hitler in Poland: One Jew's Story is a memoir written by George J.
Rynecki, Moshe Rynecki's son. A brief description of the book:
By the late 1930s Warsaw, Poland, was a vibrant city. It was home to a
bustling business community and its historic promenade and outdoor cafés
catered to the city's community of artists, writers, and intellectuals.
It was a magnificent place to live and visit.
On 1 September 1939, the day the Nazis invaded Poland, that all changed-particularly
for the Jewish population. Before the outbreak of the Second World War,
Poland was home to the largest Jewish population in Europe. It is believed
that prior to the war that more than three million Jews lived in Poland.
It is thought that perhaps fewer than four hundred thousand survived the
war.
In September 1939, George Rynecki was a Jew living in Poland. He was a
new father and just starting his business. The life he had planned was suddenly
and radically altered. Instead of focusing on his family and nascent business,
he found himself scrambling to
outsmart the Nazis and provide for his family. With a combination of courage,
wits, luck, and bribery he survived the Holocaust.
Unfortunately, George's father, Moshe Rynecki, was not so lucky. Moshe,
an artist who lived in Warsaw, refused to leave the city. While George was
unable to save his father from deportation to the Majdanek concentration
camp, at the end of the Holocaust he was able to retrieve many of his father's
paintings. Moshe's paintings, which are realistic depictions of Eastern
European Jewry, were obviously personally important to George, but are also
of historic importance; they portray a people, a culture, and a community
that was almost completely annihilated by the Nazis.
Additionally...
You can also purchase a catalog of the Moshe Rynecki exhibit that took
place in November 1981 to January 1982 at the Judah L. Magnes museum. Hollander
books represents the museum and has the catalog
for sale.
Are there other Moshe Rynecki paintings in addition to the ones seen
on the Moshe Rynecki virtual museum?
Yes.
§
The Rynecki family has some other paintings that are not displayed on-line.
§
We are aware that some private collectors have some of Moshe Rynecki's works
in their posession.
§
The Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California
owns a work depicting a wedding scene. It is entitled, "The Gift of Bread."
It is an oil on parchment. It was a gift to the museum from George Rynecki
(Moshe Rynecki's son).
§
Yad Vashem The Holocaust Martyrs' And Heroes Remembrance Authority in Israel
owns a piece depicting refugees inside the Warsaw Ghetto. It is entitled,
"Refugees."
It is a watercolor sketch.
§
The National Museum
in Krakow states in their catalog
that they have 22 Moshe Rynecki paintings in their collection.
§
The Polish Museum
of the Jewish Historical Institute.
§
LookGalleria, is a Polish website
that "manages royalty free images for commerical and editorial usage."
They manage the rights to eight of Moshe Rynecki's paintings. If you go to
their website and search their image libarary for "Rynecki" you
can see the eight paintings that are in their system. Please note that their
site refers to Moshe as "Mojzesz," which is a Polish spelling of
his first name. Due to the copyrights that they hold of the images, we cannot
display the images here.
Is there a brick and mortar museum where Moshe Rynecki's works can be
viewed in person?
Yes and no. There are some museums that have some of Moshe Rynecki's works
in their collection [see the answers to the above question]. However, you
would need to check with those individual museums to see if the Rynecki works
are currently on display.
Are there any plans for the works to go on tour?
At the present moment there are no plans for any exhibitions.
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