Dancers: Sarah Osnath-Halevy by Max Pollak

Dancers: Sarah Osnath-Halevy by Max Pollak

Dancers: Sarah Osnath-Halevy

Max Pollak

Title

Dancers: Sarah Osnath-Halevy

 
Artist

Max Pollak

  1886 - 1970 (biography)
Year
c. 1930  
Technique
color aquatint with etching 
Image Size
19 13/16 x 15 9/16" platemark 
Signature
pencil, lower right 
Edition Size
3/100 (likely fewer than 20 impresssions printed) 
Annotations
pencil titled and editioned in lower left; bears the red FPC collector's stamp in the lower left; from the collection of Friedl Pollak 
Reference
 
Paper
delicate ivory laid 
State
published 
Publisher
artist 
Inventory ID
22573 
Price
SOLD
Description

While in Vienna Max Pollak became involved in the avant-garde dance scene. He did a series of intaglio portraits of dancers, usually costumed and posed, from one of their noted performances. Regarding modern dance he is sometimes credited with being "the first etcher to turn his attention to the dance as a subject."

According to an obituary in the New York Times, Sarah Osnath-Halevy was a professional actress, singer, dancer and mime who came to the U.S. in the mid 1930s under the direction of Sol Hurok, a Russian impresario who managed Eastern European and Israeli artists throughout the U.S.

Osnath-Halevy performed one-woman shows worldwide, featuring songs and dances of the Near East, interpreting Hebrew Yemenite, Persian, Arabic, Sephardic, Russian and Yiddish songs and dances.

She had the role of Rachel in Max Reinhardt's Broadway production of “The Eternal Road.” Her retired years were spent on the administrative staff of Art D'Lugoff at the Village Gate. She died in October of 1975.