Maryan and Combas: Raw Expressionism at Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme

The Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme in Paris presented a dual exhibition from November 6, 2013 to February 9, 2014, pairing the works of Maryan (born Pinchas Simson Burstein, 1927–1977) with a homage by Robert Combas. The show highlighted the artists' shared visceral, anti-academic approach. Maryan, a Polish-born Holocaust survivor who endured multiple shootings and a leg amputation, later studied under Fernand Léger in Paris and exhibited at the André Emmerich Gallery in New York. His series include Chevaliers, Ecce Homo, and paintings after Rembrandt, Hals, and Goya. Combas, known for his energetic and provocative style, reportedly reinvests all earnings into his practice. The exhibition contrasted Maryan's traumatic biography with Combas's contemporary raw expressionism, drawing parallels to artists like Saul, Guston, and Golub. Critic Philippe Ducat noted the irony of visitors admiring Maryan's work decades after his death, given the ideological climate of the 1970s that favored Beuys. The show ran at the museum's location in Paris.