Objects

From the artist’s early period, this work, created shortly after completing her painting studies, is a unique piece in the collection donated to the POLIN Museum.

The portrait was drawn with charcoal, a technique that does not appear in Blum’s later works. The figure of the artist’s mother, Luba Blum-Bielicka, held special significance for her - not as a heroine, who dedicated herself to saving the lives and health of the Jewish community, but as a mother for whom she longed her whole life. It should be remembered that the artist's mother remained in Poland until her death, considering it to be her only homeland and viewing, as a calling, her profession as a nurse. The portrait is, therefore, an expression of both admiration and deep affection.

For the POLIN Museum, which commemorates the figure of Luba Blum-Bielicka and has items about this remarkable woman in its collection, this portrait is an exceptional image - not only artistically and emotionally charged, but it is also realistic.

Małgorzata Bogdańska-Krzyżanek