
1892-1978
Theme/Style – Modernism, figurative art, religious subjects
Media – Oils, murals, watercolors, ceramics
Artistic Focus – Through his careful application of form, line, tone, color and texture, Deutsch infused his canvases and murals with a compositional movement and rhythm that evokes a strong emotional response. His deep concern for the human condition comes through in his depiction of people engaged in everyday activities, whether in the Russian marketplaces of his childhood, or the fields, factories, and synagogues in which Jews engage in timeless prayer rituals.
Career Highlights –
- Deutsch fled Russia in 1916 and arrived in Los Angeles soon after, taking work in a Hollywood film studio from 1919 to 1922.
- In 1930, Boris Deutsch was awarded the purchase prize award from the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego for his exquisite painting, Girl with Yellow Shawl. The award was in the amount of $500, which was a considerable sum at that time.
- Deutsch was hired in the 1930s by the Resettlement Administration to travel the nation and sketch the American scene. The paintings which resulted from his travels were hung in government buildings throughout the land.
- As a mural artist working for the New Deal Art program, Deutsch depicted events from American history and scenes of industrious American laborers. His 11-mural representation of the cultural contributions of the Americas to California life, which still graces the walls of the Los Angeles Terminal Annex Post Office, reflected Deutsch’s determination to acknowledge the ethnic cultures that have helped to define Southern California life.