Photographs of Joseph Biel and Lena Gurr

Photographs of Joseph Biel and Lena Gurr

Joseph Biel (1891-1943) was a Jewish immigrant who had witness the pogroms of Bialystock, Russia; Lena Gurr (1897-1992), born in New York, was the daughter of Russian Jewish immigrants. Both were painters committed to social justice who appear to have supported each other wonderfully, including co-exhibition of their art at places like the Brooklyn Museum and enjoying Biel's inclusion at a 1939 World's Fair exposition.

Biel's painting "After the Storm," created as part of the Federal Art Project, is part of the New Deal Gallery's collection at Mt. Morris, NY. These three photos from Gurr's photo album are included here to help suggest their modern, reciprocal relationship.

Gurr, Lena
Biel, Joseph

1. 1929-07
2. 1939
3. 1939

Cooper, Ken

Lena Gurr photograph album pages, 1914-1939 / Lena Gurr, photographer. Lena Gurr papers, 1908-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

1. jpeg, 165 KB
2. jpeg, 343 KB
3. jpeg, 320 KB

Still images

Photographs