IZIS

IZIS (Izrael Bidermanas; 1911–1980), French photographer. Izis was born in Mariampol, Lithuania. In 1930 he went to Paris. During World War II, he was captured by the Nazis but escaped and joined the Resistance. There he taught himself to produce expressive human studies with small, fast cameras   instead of his former sophisticated commercial photographs. In 1946 Izis had his first exhibition in Paris; a second one four years later brought him a contract with the French magazine Paris Match. His roving mission, which took him all over Europe and the Middle East, resulted in beautifully designed photographs that were lyrical, humane, and exciting. His book of this period, Paris des Rêves (1950), with text by 40 French poets, ran into many editions. His other collections include Charmes de Londres (1952), Paradis terrestre (1953) with text by Colette, and Israël (1955) with a preface by André Malraux. In 1963 chagall designed a frontispiece for The Circus of Izis, for which Jacques Prévert wrote the text, and in 1968 Izis published The World of Marc Chagall. (Peter Pollack)