Samuel Jessurun De Mesquita

Passions

Vocation

Dutch artist and craftsman who experimented with woodcuts printed in Gold and Black. His father Josua Jessurun de Mesquita (1827-1873) was a teacher in German and Hebrew at the Stedelijk Gymnasium. His mother Judith Mendes da Costa (1834-1903) came from a artistic family. Both were Sephardic Jews. They got three children. The eldest son Joseph Jessurun de Mesquita went to the gymnasium until 1833. He became a photographer, but committed suicide on 1 April 1890. His sister Hanna "Anna" (25 November 1863?, A'dam - 1939) became a painter. She married her nephew, the sculptor Joseph Mendes da Costa (4 nov 1863, A'dam - 20 July 1939, A'dam) in 1891. Samuel wanted to become an artist, but he sacked at the admission examinations of the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten he did at age 14. Thereafter he got a job with the city architect W. Springer (1815-1907). Two years later he studied architecture at the Rijksschool voor Kunstnijverheid and drawing at the Rijksnormaalschool voor Tekenonderwijzers, where he in 1889 became a drawing teacher. He worked first as an experimental artist and rather invisible member of Arti et Amicitiae. Later he sought for more stability to enable a family. In 1902 Samuel became a teacher at the Haarlem School of Art (School voor Kunstnijverheid). He stayed there for 25 years and became a teacher and friend of Maurits Cornelis Escher en Reijer Stolk. When in 1926 the Haarlem school of art was closed, he started a second youth as free artist. From 1933 till 1937 he was a lector of graphic art at the State Academy in Amsterdam. He considered it as a recognition for his work. Personal On 7 April 1904 he married Elisabeth (Betsie) Pinedo in Amsterdam. In 1905 they got a son Jaap. As a Sephardic Jew he hoped to be spared, but in the night of 31 January to 1 February 1944, he and his wife Elisabeth (Betsie) Pinedo (12 March 1874 9 AM, Amsterdam - 11 February 1944, Auschwitz) and son Jacob "Jaap" were (20 April 1905, Watergraafsmeer - 30 March 1944, Theresienstadt) were arrested. He and Betsy were deported to Auschwitz, where they were gassed to death 11 February 1944 at arrival. Their son Jaap perished in Theresienstadt. Link to Wikipedia biography