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Marcel Janco, Israeli, born in Romania, 1895-1985. One of the pioneers of the Dada movement and founder of Ein Hod Art Colony. Won the Israel Prize in 1967.

Marcel Janco was born in Bucharest, Romania. His father was a businessman and his mother was an amateur musician. As a boy, he studied under the Jewish artist Iosif Iser. In 1912-1913, he co-edited the avant-garde journal Simbolul (The Symbol) with Tristan Tzara and others . In 1915, he began to study architecture at the Polytechnic in Zurich, Switzerland. After the outbreak of World War I, Janco and his brothers were among the founders of the Dada school and took part in the activities of Cabaret Voltaire. In 1921, he emigrated to Paris and helped to found Contimporanul and other avant-garde art groups. His works at the time incorporated new techniques such as collage and assemblage. He is particularly known for his Cubist and Futurist depictions of parties and the masks he created for Dada performances at Cabaret Voltaire.

In 1941, Janco immigrated to the Land of Israel. While working as an architect for the Tel Aviv Municipality, he continued to paint and designed backdrops for various plays. In 1948, he was one of the founders of the New Horizons group. In 1953, he established the Ein Hod art colony and an art school affiliated with the Oranim Teachers Seminary. In Israel, Janco's art was influenced by his nationalist Zionist outlook, inspiring him to paint local landscapes and depictions of immigrants. He is particularly known for his social-historical paintings, among them Immigrant Ship (1946), Wounded Soldier at Night (1948) and Maccabees (1952), which combine classical motifs with an expressive and geometric style.

The Janco Dada Museum, established in Ein Hod in 1983, exhibits Janco's work.

Education

1915 Studied Architecture, l'Ecole Polytechnique, Zurich, Switzerland

Teaching

1953 Seminar Ha'Kibbutzim, Oranim

Awards And Prizes

1938 Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture
1951 Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
1958 The Histadrut Prize
1967 Israel Prize for Painting
1982 Worthy Citizen of Tel Aviv Award, Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa