Dora Holzhandler (b. 1928)

Dora Holzhandler was born in 1928 in Paris, to a family of Polish Jewish immigrants; they moved to London in 1934, and she later studied in these twin hometowns, first at the Sorbonne, then in St Johns Wood, finally settling in Hampstead. Her work often reveals her Jewish origins, with paintings of Rabbis, and references to Chagall abounding. Hers is a mystical vision, which sees the world in an enchanted light whilst being firmly rooted in everyday life. She is sometimes regarded as a naïve painter, with her vibrant colours and simplified perspectives; but that is to deny her the wealth of human experience she brings to a painting. Her work has been avidly collected by many, most famously by Charlie Chaplin.