Marcel Janco

Marcel Janco (1895-1984) was born in Bucharest, Romania. His father was a merchant and his mother was an amateur musician. As a child, he studied painting with the Jewish painter Lucif Isser.

Together with Christian Zara and others, published, between 1913-1912, an avant-garde journal called “Simbolul” (“The Sergeant”). In 1915, he studied architecture at the Polytechnic School in Zurich, Switzerland. After the outbreak of the First World War, Janco, together with his brother, participated in the establishment of the Dada movement in the city.
In 1921 he emigrated to Paris, France. His works from that time took advantage of avant-garde techniques such as collage and assemblage. This period is best known for its portrayal of the ballads painted in a cubist and futuristic style, as well as masks created for the performances of the Dada movement in the Cabaret Walter.
From 1922 to 1940 he lived in Romania, where he co-founded the journal Contimpornol (1922-1930) and other avant-garde art groups. In 1941 he immigrated to Israel. During this period, alongside his work as an architect in the Tel Aviv municipality, he continued his work as a painter and even created backdrops for various plays.

In 1948 he was one of the founders of the New Horizons movement. In 1953 he founded the Ein Hod artist village and the art school at Oranim College. In Israel, Janco’s work was supplemented by a national Zionist approach, in which he created descriptions of the country’s landscapes, descriptions of immigrants, and more. In particular, paintings of a historical social dimension, which uses classic motifs and expressive and geometric painting style.
In 1983 he established the Janco-Dada Museum in Ein Hod, which presents works by Janco to this day.