Isaac Israels’ Europe

Isaac is the son of the world-renowned painter Jozef Israëls. At the age of thirteen, Isaac Israels embarks on his first tour in Europe. It marks the beginning of a nomadic life: always on the move, always at work. This results in a vast and multifaceted body of work that captures the worldly, cosmopolitan, and turbulent spirit of the early twentieth century. In addition to shorter stays in Germany, Italy, Austria, Spain, Scandinavia, and Switzerland, Israels spends extended periods working in Paris and London, where he rents studios.

Art, literature, and travel shape the life of Isaac Israels. The impressions he gathers along the way are captured at great speed in sketchbooks, later developed into vivid paintings, watercolours, or pastels. Through his naturalistic approach to painting, his palette of colour and tone shifts in response to the atmosphere of each destination.

Cover image: Isaac Israels, Figures on a Sunny Beach, Italy, 1923-1929, watercolour on paper, 35,3 × 50,7 cm