Background
Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert was born in a small village near Heidelberg, Germany to a poor religious orthodox family.
Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert was born in a small village near Heidelberg, Germany to a poor religious orthodox family.
1916-1920 began his studies in sculpture at the Frankfurt School of Art
1925-1928 began his studies in goldsmithing at the Frankfurt School of Artist
He is celebrated as the first artist to design Judaica in modern styles. During his childhood he suffered as a result of his family"s Lithuanian (immigrant) origin and was often teased because of his cleft lip. Wolpert works avoid decorations, and rely on clean, geometric shapes.
In 1933, following the Nazi rise to power in Germany, he immigrated to the Land of Israel with his family.
There, he worked in the "B. Friedland" Workshop where he design and manufactured silver tableware and Jewish ceremonial art Together with Victor Solomon Reese, he made the sculpture "The Flying Camel", the symbol of the "Levant Fair", under the architect Arieh Elhanani.
In 1935 he began teaching at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, where he headed the Department of Metal together with jeweler David Heinz Gumbel. Wolpert placed an emphasis on the use of Hebrew typography in Jewish ceremonial art and employed modern lines within works.
In addition to his teaching continued to create modern Judaica works at the school’s workshop.
In 1942 he established an independent workshop in Jerusalem. In 1956 he emigrated to the United States, where he headed the Tobe Pascher Workshop for Modern Jewish Art at the Jewish Museum in New New York 1935-1956 The Metal Department, New Bezalel, Jerusalem 1933 "Kult und Form", Jewish Museum of Berlin, Germany 1939 The Judaica Pavilion, New York World"s Fair, New York 1953 One-man exhibition, Bezalel Museum, Jerusalem 1957 Retrospective exhibition, Jewish Museum of New York 1976 Retrospective exhibition, Jewish Museum of New York 1976 Retrospective exhibition, Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership, Chicago 1977 "Wolpert: A Retrospective", The Hebrew Union College Skirball Museum, Los Angeles 2012 "Forging Ahead: Wolpert and Gumbel, Israeli Silversmiths for the Modern Age", Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
1916-1920 began his studies in sculpture at the Frankfurt School of Art
1925-1928 began his studies in goldsmithing at the Frankfurt School of Artist