Bidspirit auction | KLEINMAN, ZALMAN.  Dancing Chassidim. Oil

KLEINMAN, ZALMAN.  Dancing Chassidim. Oil on canvas. Signed and dated by the artist in Hebrew, lower right. Framed. 42 x 38 inches. Brooklyn, NY, 1973. SUBSTANTIAL WORKS BY KLEINMAN ARE RARE TO APPEAR FOR AUCTION SALE. THIS DRAMATIC PAINTING IS PARTICULARLY ICONIC. Born in Leningrad, Russia, to a long-standing family of Lubavitch Chassidim, Zalman Kleinman (1933-95) was a Chabad Chassid and self-taught artist who expressed his spiritual fervor by way of art. He was encouraged to paint by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who stated: ”Art adds another dimension of feeling to one’s spiritual commitment.” In a personal letter to the artist by the Rebbe, Kleinman’s art is described as “impressive and pure.” After escaping Soviet Russia aged thirteen, Kleinman studied in yeshiva in Paris and eventually moved to Israel where he served in the Israel Defense Forces. Later he relocated to the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn. There, living in the immediate vicinity of the Court of Lubavitch, Kleinman produced a series of penetrating and moving paintings that portray the inner life and beauty of his Chassidic community. PROVENANCE:  Purchased directly from the artist by a collector in upstate New York. WORKS BY ZALMAN KLEINMAN INFREQUENTLY APPEAR FOR AUCTION SALE. A LARGE, DETAILED CANVAS SUCH AS THE PRESENT PAINTING, IS ESPECIALLY UNCOMMON. For another iconic painting by Zalman Kleinman recently sold at auction, see: https://il.bidspirit.com/ui/lotPage/source/catalog/auction/21166/lot/162360/Painting-by-the-Chassidic-Artist?lang=en