Lot 134: Efim (Yefim) Davidovich Simkin (Cimkin) (1915-

Efim (Yefim) Davidovich Simkin (Cimkin) (1915- 2001), Russian PORTRAIT OF MOTHER WITH CANDLES, THE PRAYER; Oil on canvas; signed in cyrillics lower left, signed and titled in cyrillics and dated 1995 verso. Unframed. 39" x 25.5" - 99.1 x 64.8 cm.

Literature:Matthew Cullerne Bown, A Dictionary of Twentieth Century Russian and Soviet Painters 1900-1980's pg. 294

Estate of the artist; donated by the artist's wife, Rasia Shaya Duvidovna Ostrovskaya, Moscow to Mrs. Svetlana Kogan-Rabinovitch, President of the Association of Prisoners of Concentration Camps and Ghettos and Veterns of WWII, Toronto

Note:Born May 15, 1915 in the city of Kiev, Efim comments in his biography that he often thought of his childhood and many of his paintings are based on his memories of that wonderful time. With the death of his mother, his family broke up and in 1925 after wandering all over the city for a long time, he ended up in a Commune House in Kiev where they provided an all-round education including art classes which Efim states he would remember with gratitude all his life. At this residence, Efim studied under artist, Emmanuil Iosifovich Shekhtman (Shechman), whom Efim described as a gifted and remarkable man. Efim studied at the 1905 Moscow Region Art College from 1938-1940. From 1942- 1944, he fought in the Great Patriotic War where he lost an arm near Stalingrad. Late in 1943, Efim returned to his native city in 1944. There in Babiy Yar, he created many paintings that depicted the tragedy's of war suffered by his brothers, their wives and children. Later while studying at the Moscow Art Institute, until about 1947/1949, Efim always remembered Shekhtman's teachings. In 1949, Efim's graduating year, he studied under Alexander A. Osmerkin who inspired the young artist to paint war themes resulting in the creation of his degree work, "Dugout" and his acceptance as a member of the Moscow Artist's Union. Starting in 1949, Efim began participating on a regular basis in many of the general Moscow, all- republic and all union exhibitions. Important shows include the exhibition called "Soviet Russia", Moscow in 1960. In 1972, Efim began working on a major series of paintings on the subject of the Great Patriotic War. He states, " One who fought in the war can never forget it. I still dream about the war to this day, and my dreams are reflected in my compositions. I paint pictures about the war for the sake of world peace..." The horrors of fascism are testified to by Svetlana Kogan-Rabinovitch the recipient of this work by the Estate of the artist, who as a young girl was a concentration camp prisoner. This series set at Babiy Yar, Treblinka, and at Auschwitz, are a reflection of the horrors of war.