British
Painter of figures, particularly workers, in oils, watercolours, gouaches, pastels and pen and wash. Born in warsaw into a Jewish family, he attended the Warsaw School of Art from 1930-1, and in 1935-6 was a co-founder of the group called Phrygian Cap. In 1938 he went to Brusseld and became acquainted with the work of Permeke; in 1940 he moved to Briatin, becoming a British citizen in 1948. He settled first in Glasgow where he knew Jankel Adler, then in London. In 1944 he visited South Wales, finding in the village and the miners of Ystradgynlais a deep source of inspiration. He worked there until 1961 when he moved to Suffolk, returning to live in London in 1972. He travelled widely from the 1950s recording the working people of Europe and in 1968-9 he visited Mexico. He exhibited first in Warsaw, showed in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 1941-2, and in 1943 exhibted with Lowry in London. From 1946 he exhibited regularly at Roland Browse & Delbanco. His work is in many public collections and retrospective exhibitions of his work include those at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1956, and Camden Arts Centre in 1980. His commissions included work for the Festival of Britainm 1951, and amongst his many awards was the Gold Medal, Royal National Eisteddfod, 1962. He received his OBE in 1981. He has formed an important collection of African sculpture. The subject of his painting is work and the interrelationship of man and nature expressed in monumental figures, often shown in twilight. his restrcited palette of ssubtly glowing colours is applied from light to dark on the canvas, colours being overpainted with darker glazes.

LIT:
Herman's own writings including his autobiography Related Twilights, London, 1975
Retrospective exhibition catalogue, Camden Arts Centre, 1980