Nachum Gutman (1898–1980) was a painter, illustrator, and children’s books’ author, and a recipient of the Israel Prize for Children’s Literature. Gutman was born in Serbia and immigrated to Jaffa with his family at the age of seven, later moving to Tel Aviv. At 15, he began studying art at the Bezalel Academy under the artist Abel Pann. He later continued his art studies in Paris, Berlin, and Vienna.
Gutman was among the pioneers of the Israeli style, and focused on documenting Israel, its landscapes, and its people, emphasizing vivid colors and the country’s bright light.
Gutman wrote and illustrated dozens of books, received the Dizengoff Prize for Painting in 1938, was named Worthy Citizen of Tel Aviv in 1976, and won the Israel Prize for Children’s Literature in 1978.
In the 1970s, Gutman visited the Jerusalem Print Workshop and produced limited editions of plates he had created in the 1920s.