Judyta Sobel (1924–2012), Figures, 1953

Judyta Sobel (1924, Lviv – 2012, New York) was a Polish-American painter of Jewish descent associated with Expressionism. She studied art at the State Higher School of Fine Arts in Łódź, where she trained under the guidance of prominent artists such as Władysław Strzemiński and Stefan Wegner, earning her diploma in 1950. As early as 1948, she participated in the prestigious First Exhibition of Modern Art in Kraków. After graduation, she went to Israel on a scholarship and subsequently settled permanently in New York.

Sobel’s work has been exhibited in cities such as Łódź, Wrocław, Kraków, Paris, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and New York. In 1956, she won first prize at an exhibition at the Saks Gallery in Paris, which solidified her position on the international art scene. Her paintings, oscillating between figuration and abstraction, were distinguished by their rich use of color and intense expressionist explorations. Sobel’s paintings reveal a subtle sensitivity to everyday life and are highly regarded by critics and art historians. The artist’s works are held in numerous private and museum collections around the world.