This original 9x12 attributed ink drawing by Yossi Stern, one of Israel’s most iconic illustrators, features a tall, elegantly simplified male figure depicted with Stern’s characteristic minimalist contour line. Known as “The Painter of Jerusalem,” Stern blended European draftsmanship with Israeli expressionism to create line drawings filled with humanity and wit.
Executed in Stern’s mid-century style and acquired in New York City, this unsigned drawing reflects his mastery of gesture and narrative simplicity—achieving presence and personality with just a few strokes of ink. Offered by Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC, this is a strong example of Stern’s figurative work.
Title:Standing Man in Hat (Untitled Line Drawing)
Artist:Yossi Stern (1923–1992)
Medium: Pen & Ink Line Drawing on Paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Location Acquired: New York City
Signature: Unsigned (Attributed to Yossi Stern)
Period: Mid–Late 20th Century
Style: Modernist Minimalism • Israeli Line Drawing • Figurative Expressionism
This 9x12 ink drawing presents a tall, elegantly simplified male figure, rendered in Yossi Stern’s unmistakable minimalist contour style. The figure—wearing a long coat, tie, and wide-brimmed hat—stands with gently crossed legs, projecting a calm, slightly whimsical presence.
Stern’s hallmark expressive economy is fully evident: the entire figure is outlined in a handful of long, uninterrupted pen strokes. Curved lines around the face and hair add humor and character, while the elongated proportions echo Stern’s European caricature influences and his training in classical draftsmanship.
As in many of Stern’s figurative works, the emotional tone is subtle, gentle, and deeply human. This drawing reflects Stern’s ability to construct a complete narrative persona with the barest means—capturing attitude, posture, and personality through pure line.
This piece belongs stylistically to Stern’s mid-century figurative studies, which often depicted passersby, Jerusalem characters, and everyday individuals using refined, humorous minimalism.
Yossi Stern was born in 1923 in Debrecen, Hungary, and began art training early at the Debrecen Academy of Art. Fleeing wartime Europe at 17, he immigrated alone to Jerusalem, where he quickly became one of the most important illustrators of the British Mandate period.
During the 1948 War of Independence, Stern served as an official IDF war artist, documenting battlefronts, soldiers, refugees, and daily life with expressive immediacy. His ability to capture emotional truth with a few strokes made him one of Israel’s most recognizable illustrators of the mid-20th century.
Stern’s influences include:
Central European modernist caricature
Classical draftsmanship
Käthe Kollwitz’s humanistic line
Saul Steinberg’s minimalist humor
Israeli modernism and reportage drawing
He worked as an illustrator, poster artist, newspaper contributor, and cultural documentarian, and later exhibited at:
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Bezalel Academy exhibitions
Various institutions across Europe and the U.S.
Stern is widely known as “The Painter of Jerusalem”, celebrated for expressive line drawings that balance warmth, simplicity, and deep narrative sensitivity.
Yossi Stern (1923–1992)
Standing Man in Hat (Untitled)
Pen & Ink on Paper, 9 x 12 in.
Unsigned; attributed; NYC acquisition.
Elegant minimalist line drawing of a standing man, characteristic of Yossi Stern’s mid-century figurative style.
Artist: Yossi Stern (1923–1992) — Attributed
Title:Standing Man in Hat (Untitled Line Drawing)
Medium: Pen & Ink on Paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Date: Mid–Late 20th Century
Signature: Unsigned
Origin: Acquired in New York City
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Authentication Notes:
Although unsigned, this artwork is attributed to Yossi Stern based on:
Stylistic alignment with Stern’s documented figurative drawings
Characteristic linework, elongated proportions, and humor
Provenance consistent with NYC holdings of Stern’s estate releases
Private Collection, New York City
Secondary Market, NYC
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — Present Owner
This original 9x12 attributed ink drawing by Yossi Stern, one of Israel’s most iconic illustrators, features a tall, elegantly simplified male figure depicted with Stern’s characteristic minimalist contour line. Known as “The Painter of Jerusalem,” Stern blended European draftsmanship with Israeli expressionism to create line drawings filled with humanity and wit.
Executed in Stern’s mid-century style and acquired in New York City, this unsigned drawing reflects his mastery of gesture and narrative simplicity—achieving presence and personality with just a few strokes of ink. Offered by Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC, this is a strong example of Stern’s figurative work.
Title:Standing Man in Hat (Untitled Line Drawing)
Artist:Yossi Stern (1923–1992)
Medium: Pen & Ink Line Drawing on Paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Location Acquired: New York City
Signature: Unsigned (Attributed to Yossi Stern)
Period: Mid–Late 20th Century
Style: Modernist Minimalism • Israeli Line Drawing • Figurative Expressionism
This 9x12 ink drawing presents a tall, elegantly simplified male figure, rendered in Yossi Stern’s unmistakable minimalist contour style. The figure—wearing a long coat, tie, and wide-brimmed hat—stands with gently crossed legs, projecting a calm, slightly whimsical presence.
Stern’s hallmark expressive economy is fully evident: the entire figure is outlined in a handful of long, uninterrupted pen strokes. Curved lines around the face and hair add humor and character, while the elongated proportions echo Stern’s European caricature influences and his training in classical draftsmanship.
As in many of Stern’s figurative works, the emotional tone is subtle, gentle, and deeply human. This drawing reflects Stern’s ability to construct a complete narrative persona with the barest means—capturing attitude, posture, and personality through pure line.
This piece belongs stylistically to Stern’s mid-century figurative studies, which often depicted passersby, Jerusalem characters, and everyday individuals using refined, humorous minimalism.
Yossi Stern was born in 1923 in Debrecen, Hungary, and began art training early at the Debrecen Academy of Art. Fleeing wartime Europe at 17, he immigrated alone to Jerusalem, where he quickly became one of the most important illustrators of the British Mandate period.
During the 1948 War of Independence, Stern served as an official IDF war artist, documenting battlefronts, soldiers, refugees, and daily life with expressive immediacy. His ability to capture emotional truth with a few strokes made him one of Israel’s most recognizable illustrators of the mid-20th century.
Stern’s influences include:
Central European modernist caricature
Classical draftsmanship
Käthe Kollwitz’s humanistic line
Saul Steinberg’s minimalist humor
Israeli modernism and reportage drawing
He worked as an illustrator, poster artist, newspaper contributor, and cultural documentarian, and later exhibited at:
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Bezalel Academy exhibitions
Various institutions across Europe and the U.S.
Stern is widely known as “The Painter of Jerusalem”, celebrated for expressive line drawings that balance warmth, simplicity, and deep narrative sensitivity.
Yossi Stern (1923–1992)
Standing Man in Hat (Untitled)
Pen & Ink on Paper, 9 x 12 in.
Unsigned; attributed; NYC acquisition.
Elegant minimalist line drawing of a standing man, characteristic of Yossi Stern’s mid-century figurative style.
Artist: Yossi Stern (1923–1992) — Attributed
Title:Standing Man in Hat (Untitled Line Drawing)
Medium: Pen & Ink on Paper
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Date: Mid–Late 20th Century
Signature: Unsigned
Origin: Acquired in New York City
Current Owner: Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
Authentication Notes:
Although unsigned, this artwork is attributed to Yossi Stern based on:
Stylistic alignment with Stern’s documented figurative drawings
Characteristic linework, elongated proportions, and humor
Provenance consistent with NYC holdings of Stern’s estate releases
Private Collection, New York City
Secondary Market, NYC
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC — Present Owner
