Woodbury, Conn. USA

Feb. 19, 1952

Dr. Karl Schwerz,
251 Dizengoff St.
TelAviv, Israel

Dear Dr. Schwerz,

Thank you for your letter of Jan. 30th. It is very difficult for me to explain to you why I am somewhat disconcerted by your request, but I will try to explain it in the hope that you will understand, without prejudice, my point of view.

First of all, from a biographical point of view, I don't know whether I would be quite qualified for your book, from your point of view. All the my father was of Jewish faith, I am well as my brother, were brought up as Christians. But that is a point of biography.

Apart from that, I am uncompromisingly against any national art. During all my artistic life, I have been opposed against this recent wave of using the artist as a means of furthuring nationalist propaganda. I am not opposed to the young Israel as a state, but I think that it is a pity if the establishment of Israel as a state in Palestine makes foreigners of the Jews who are scattered all over the world. If any principle was fought for in this last terrible war, it was the negation of racism. I don't think Israel can claim as Jews, even the Jews by religion who are not residents of Palestine or declared Zionists. In particular, it seems to me, totally artificial to claim artists or writers or poets or scientist as being Jewish artists or scientists, etc. There is not yet a contemporary Jewish Art as one can perhaps say there is, or was, a Russian Art or an English Art—at any rate, the principle of such labels is a wrong one.

If you go thru the history of Art, which you know as well as I do, you will have noticed that in the last hundred years, Art and Science have freed themselves from the bondage of national characteristics, and I think it would be a retrogressive step to revive such categories. It would also be contrary to the truth. Russia can claim me as a Russian artist as well as France and England and Germany and I would gladly be represented in any Hebrew book amongst all the rest of contemporary artists, however the editor chooses as con temporary artists, not only the Jewish ones—but I have never allowed, and have sought to hinder when I could, myself to be represented either as French art or German art or Russian art.

I know that, being a Russian by birth, I cannot very well hinder an historian if, in speaking about Russian art, he included me and my work in it, but it will only be true from the biographical point of view and not from the point of view of the characterization of my art—and I would argue even again at this privilege.

It is for this reason that I am sorry to have to decline your invitation to send photographs for your book.

With the sincere hope that this, my letter, will not be understood as either an offense or an evasion,

I remain,

Yours sincerely,

(N. Gebel)