a life less ordinary; Both inspiration and muse, the painter Biala lived a life buffeted by wars and migration, yet rich in talent and passion.(Biography)

Byline: Jean Nathan

I first saw a Biala painting many years ago at the New York apartment of a woman whose friends and intimates included such blue-chip names as de Kooning and Noguchi. Their work was well represented there, but what really dazzled me was a large winter landscape hanging on the wall behind the dinner table. It was a partial view of an evergreen tree, a snowdrift obscuring its roots and, beside it, a bird feeder inhabited despite the season. Something about the painting gave me the uncanny sensation that I was looking at a self-portrait. I knew I risked appearing ignorant-its prominent placement was surely no accident-but I had no idea whose work ...