Enit Kaufman, 1908?-1961
AMERICAN PORTRAITS Papers, 1914-1958 1 box (.42 linear feet) Acquisition: Purchase, 1962 (R1349)
Access: Open for research
Processed by: Genevieve Buentello, 1997, Laura Gottesman, 1999
RLIN Record ID: Table of Contents
Scope and Contents
Folder List
Index of Correspondents ...
Index of Statements of Leadership Biographical Sketch Enit Zerner Kaufman (1908?-1961) was born near Vienna, where she later studied art. Her primary interest was portraiture, and she soon created a name for herself painting prominent Europeans, including Albert Sarraut and Georges Duhamel, among others. Her work was featured in several successful exhibitions in Paris, where her skillful paintings of women and children also attracted attention. Her life and career were changed dramatically by the onset of World War II, and she fled the turbulence of Europe for an uncertain future in New York City in 1939, along with her husband Edward, a lawyer. Kaufman worked with great determination in the United States to resume her interrupted career and achieved some success, teaching art and working to rebuild her reputation as a portraitist. As had been the case in Europe, many of her subjects were prominent figures in government, education, and the arts. She had the distinction of painting four American Presidents, including Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Her work was featured in a number of exhibitions in the 1940s and 1950s, including an exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, and another at the New York Historical Society. | |
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