Josef Block

Block was born in Bernstadt an der Weide (Bierutów) in Prussian Silesia.

He was a scholar of the Breslau (Wrocław) Art Academy, where his lifelong friendship with German dramatist Gerhart Hauptmann was established.

This happened in preparation for the World Columbian Exposition 1893 in Chicago, where Block won a medal for his painting 'Twilight'.

Other members of the Berlin Secession include Lovis Corinth, Max Liebermann, and Edvard Munch.

Block was persecuted by the Nazis in 1933, due to his Jewish ancestry[citation needed], and forced to sell paintings from his collection.