Osias Hofstatter

ink on paper signed

paper size: 39x30 ...

ink on paper signed

paper size: 39x30 cm

Osias Hofstatter, Israeli, born in Galicia, 1905–1994.

Osias Hofstatter was born in 1905 in Bochnia, Galizia which was under the ruling of the Austro-Hungarian empire (Poland of today). His father was a broker and merchant dealer. With the outbreak of the first world war, In 1914, his family moved to Vienna. In 1915 they moved to sconigen, Holland. Between 1919-1920 he studied in the Gymnasium in Frankfurt Germany. In 1920 he moved back to Vienna and lived there until 1938. He worked as an accountant, cocoa trader, and merchant of other items. After the “anschluss” he fleeted to Brussels where he was separated from his wife. During the second world war, he was captivated in the San Siberian concentration camp. In 1942 he ran away to Switzerland where he painted the experiences of the German conquest. After the war, he returned to his wife and in 1948 settled in Warsaw. He worked as a teacher in a Jewish orphanage and as a graphic designer for the youth newspaper. In 1957 he immigrated to Israel and settled in Holon. Up until 1970, he worked as a nightguard. He then moved to Netanya where he was focused on creating his art. In his last days, he lived in Ramat Gan.

Most of Hofstatter's work were made in drawings. His watercolors and ink described figures, animals, and hybrids in an expressive style.