[Ryback]. Yisakhar Ber Rybak Oyf di Yiddisher Feld fun Ukraina [On the Jewish Fields of the Ukraine.]

Paris, A. Simon & Cie, 1926. 385х286 мм.
One of only 50 numbered copies signet by the artist. Copy № 5. Gift inscription by Ryback. Text in Yiddish. Twenty-five plates (of 25), captioned tissue guards. Modern fine binding. Wrappers not conserved. Overall very good condition. Rare.
Yisakhar Ber Rybak (1897–1935), was born in Elisavetgrad, Russia (today Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine), painter, graphic artist, and sculptor; one of the most prominent artists of the Russian–Jewish avant–garde. Studied at the Academy of Art in Kiev and in the studio of Aleksandra Ekster. In 1915–16, he was a member of the ethnographic expedition, headed by Shlomo An–ski, that aimed to document the culture of the Jewish communities of Podolia and Volhynia, and, working side–by–side with El Lissitzky, he produced copy-sketches of tombstones and monuments and documented the popular art . For Rybak, this experience marked the beginnings of an enduring love affair with themes borrowed from popular Jewish tradition, and these themes and motifs provided the elemental foundations for his future work. He became one of the most active artists of the "Kultur Lige" ("Culture League"), and taught drawing in the school that operated under the auspices of its art division. In 1921, he moved to Berlin, where he joined the "November Gruppe" and participated in joint exhibitions with other member artists. Then Ryback moved to Paris, where he died in 1935.