Ernest Lothar

Ernest Lothar, a forgotten figure in art history, escaped the Nazis but bypassed major art hubs for years, resulting in his significant body of work going largely unrecognized for over 60 years. Gallery owner Blair Williams expresses excitement about showcasing around 60 of Lothar's oil paintings, 200 pastels, and 30 illustrations, emphasizing the uniqueness of his art.

Born to Jewish parents in 1906 and educated at Austria’s Academy of Fine and Applied Arts, Lothar fled Austria in 1938, first to Switzerland, where he taught art in a refugee camp, and then to the Dominican Republic for safety. There, his style evolved, gaining attention for its abstraction reminiscent of artists like Gauguin and Cézanne.

In 1945, he became a professor at the National School of Fine Arts, gaining prominence in the modern art scene before eventually emigrating to the U.S. in 1947. Lothar inspired his stepdaughter Melita Pepper, who remembers him as a prolific artist despite his struggles with multiple sclerosis. She has preserved a collection of his artwork and ephemera documenting his life.