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Harry Torzhiner
René Magritte • Painting, 1958, 43×30 cm
Description of the artwork «Harry Torzhiner»
Harry Torzhiner He was a talented and fairly well-known international lawyer. And also - a great connoisseur of art, a passionate collector and close friend of Rene Magritte. Torzhiner wrote several books about the artist, in addition, his correspondence with Magritte was published as a separate book.
A native of Antwerp, Harry Torjiner received a law degree and worked for some time in his native Belgium, but was forced to flee the Nazi regime in the United States. Torzhiner had to travel to the States through France, Spain, and Cuba, and here he needed knowledge of five languages. In 1946, he founded his own practice in New York and, probably, at the same time began collecting art objects. With Rene Magritte Torzhiner met in about 1956, becoming his New York lawyer, a close friend and promoter. The lawyer carefully kept all the letters that the artist wrote to him until his death, and copies of his own letters to Magritte. This professional lawyer scrupulousness allowed to create a more complete picture of their friendships and to reveal some secrets of Magritte’s personality in the book. The letters of the artist and the lawyer in it are interspersed with photographs, handwritten passages and working sketches of Magritte.
Harry Torzhiner was not only a close friend of the artist, but also one of the most devoted fans of his work. The lawyer was the first owner of the paintings "Son of man"And"Castle in the Pyrenees”, These canvases adorned the walls of Torzhiner's office. People who got into the office of a lawyer found the abundance of objects of art somewhat disorienting. Even Torzhiner's mother blamed him for the fact that his office does not look like the office of a lawyer, because there are no wooden panels on the walls, nor shelves with books. However, the entire collection of the lawyer was a reflection of his personality, including African art, which represented "A 20-year connection with Africa, especially with the Ivory Coast." Torzhiner himself said: “All the creators that surround me are soul mates. I despise the word collector. I believe in the absolute integration of human work and its intellectual and aesthetic qualities. Therefore, I surround myself with the work of friends - soul mates, because I feel most comfortable with them. ”
Author: Evgenia Sidelnikova
A native of Antwerp, Harry Torjiner received a law degree and worked for some time in his native Belgium, but was forced to flee the Nazi regime in the United States. Torzhiner had to travel to the States through France, Spain, and Cuba, and here he needed knowledge of five languages. In 1946, he founded his own practice in New York and, probably, at the same time began collecting art objects. With Rene Magritte Torzhiner met in about 1956, becoming his New York lawyer, a close friend and promoter. The lawyer carefully kept all the letters that the artist wrote to him until his death, and copies of his own letters to Magritte. This professional lawyer scrupulousness allowed to create a more complete picture of their friendships and to reveal some secrets of Magritte’s personality in the book. The letters of the artist and the lawyer in it are interspersed with photographs, handwritten passages and working sketches of Magritte.
Harry Torzhiner was not only a close friend of the artist, but also one of the most devoted fans of his work. The lawyer was the first owner of the paintings "Son of man"And"Castle in the Pyrenees”, These canvases adorned the walls of Torzhiner's office. People who got into the office of a lawyer found the abundance of objects of art somewhat disorienting. Even Torzhiner's mother blamed him for the fact that his office does not look like the office of a lawyer, because there are no wooden panels on the walls, nor shelves with books. However, the entire collection of the lawyer was a reflection of his personality, including African art, which represented "A 20-year connection with Africa, especially with the Ivory Coast." Torzhiner himself said: “All the creators that surround me are soul mates. I despise the word collector. I believe in the absolute integration of human work and its intellectual and aesthetic qualities. Therefore, I surround myself with the work of friends - soul mates, because I feel most comfortable with them. ”
Author: Evgenia Sidelnikova
