Jacob Kramer

This is the first biography of an important artist difficult to 'pigeon hole' in the history of twentieth-century British art. A Jewish immigrant, Kramer was a contemporary of Mark Gertler, David Bomberg, William Roberts and C. R. W. Nevinson, but was not interested in joining artist groups. Yet, he brought a robust energy, largeness and simplicity of design to the English art scene. As Frances Spalding has commented, there is a quality in his art that remains defiantly Eastern European. Despite his Slade training and friendships, Kramer lived his life in Leeds, his best work done in the post-World War I years. There, he became a close friend of critic Herbert Read, and for years was a pivotal figure in the Leeds cultural scene. Kramer's artistic reputation rests largely on his early portraiture, especially of Jewish subjects - tense, haunting images, strong and compelling. He is represented in many public and private collections, notably Tate Britain, National Portrait Gallery, Leeds City Art Gallery and the University of Leeds. There are some strong self-portraits, and Epstein sculpted Kramer's head in bronze. This is the only book available on this important 20th-century artist. It also has an Anglo-Jewish interest, and covers the associated exhibition at Leeds City Art Gallery September-November 2006, and others at commercial London galleries.