The Exploiter

David Ben Bekker (1897-1956) was born Ben Menachem in Poland. He studied at the Bezalel School for Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem and at the Antokolsky School in Vilna. Active in Bucharest during WWI, he became a rabbi in Casper, Wyoming before settling in Chicago as an artist in the 1920s. He taught in Chicago at the Hull House. Bekker worked for the Federal Artists Project Easel Section during the Depression, and as a WPA artist he created images of human suffering and painted murals in Illinois public buildings. In 1932, he published a portfolio of woodcuts, Myths and Moods. Bekker was a member of the American Jewish Artists Club. His works are included in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and the Tel Aviv Museum.