Art and designיעקב ברנדנבורג

Jacob Brandenburg

Jacob Brandenburg was a Polish-born Israeli sculptor who worked in an expressionist style and won the Dizengoff Prize in 1940.

1899 to 1982Expressionist sculptureSculptures of animalsBiblical themes in artThe 1940 Dizengoff Prize

Died: 12 December 1982, Israel
Occupation: sculptor
Education: Berlin University of the Arts

Jacob Brandenburg was born in 1899 in Stawiski

Jacob Brandenburg was born in 1899 in Stawiski, Poland, and was orphaned as a young child. He studied at the Łomża Yeshiva and planned to become a rabbi. Poor health forced him to leave.

In 1920 he moved to Berlin, where his brother Yosef lived. He studied at the art school in Charlottenburg under Hugo Lederer and Hermann Struck.

He immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1934 and settled in Jerusalem. He worked as a stonemason and taught art. He carved in wood, stone, clay and plaster, often depicting animals and biblical themes, with influence from German expressionism and Ernst Barlach.

In 1966 he published a book on biblical art. He was married to Tehila, a nurse, and they had no children. He died in 1981 and was buried at Har HaMenuchot, and his sculptures were donated to public institutions under his will.