Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.


Moich Abrahams artist

Moich (Martin) Abrahams was born into a Jewish émigré family in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England in 1941 and received his art education in the UK. A member of The London Group, Abrahams is primarily an Art Brut painter whose work is rooted in the notion of 'letting go' and the exploration of the unconscious.

Born: 1941 Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England

Other name/s: Martin Abrahams


Biography

Artist Martin Abrahams (known as Moich) was born into a Jewish émigré family in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, England in 1941. His grandmother and paternal family emigrated from Minsk in the Russian Empire (now in Belarus) to the UK in the 1890s. His Chassidic mother, from a Jewish town in Carpathian Hungary, came to the UK via Belgium, arriving in 1931. Abrahams was brought up in nearby Letchworth Garden City. Aged 19, he wrote a poem entitled 'I am' in which he conflated the French and German words for the first person, 'moi' and Ich', creating the name 'Moich', which sounded similar to his Hebrew name, Moishe. Abrahams studied Mathematics at King’s College London (although he was more interested in the college film society screenings of iconic Surrealist films), before teaching maths and drawing to children with special needs. He later pursued formal art training at the Byam Shaw School of Art, now part of Central Saint Martins (UAL) between 1970 and 1974, continuing to teach before completing an MA at Goldsmiths from 1980 to 1982.

Abrahams’ early connection with Rabbi Sassoon, a respected leader within the Sephardi Jewish community, significantly shaped his spiritual journey. The Rabbi's advice to engage in a dialogue with his own potential resonated deeply, influencing Abrahams’ later exploration of non-dualistic philosophy and the fundamental question: ‘Who am I?’. Following his studies, he joined the progressive school, Monkton Wyld, during its peak in the late 1960s, a time marked by its experimental democratic management structure. As a mathematics and portrait drawing teacher, he contributed to the school’s innovative curriculum. Abrahams later joined Kingsmuir, a boarding school for emotionally and behaviourally challenged students, where he combined traditional teaching with establishing an art studio for creative expression.

Abrahams’ practice is rooted in the notion of ‘letting go’, with his approach to creation inspired by a haiku by Long Chen Pa, which states: ‘Since everything is none other // than exactly as it is // one may well just break out in laughter.’ The interplay between spontaneity and a profound exploration of the unconscious is another central feature of Abrahams’ work. He is captivated by the dual pursuit of unravelling the enigmatic and rekindling a childlike sense of wonder. At the core of his process lies the art of surrendering control. Painters such as Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, and Joan Miró, coupled with his enduring fascination with Outsider Art (Art Brut), have further shaped his practice. Abrahams’ Self Portrait (2008, Ben Uri Collection) is typical of his oeuvre, pulsating with raw and expressive energy. The figure, rendered with a childlike simplicity, dominates the canvas, set against a vibrant red backdrop. Thick, gestural brushstrokes and bold colours create a sense of immediacy and spontaneity. Exaggerated features and playful distortions lend the work a whimsical, almost cartoonish quality, nodding towards Jean Dubuffet’s Art Brut aesthetic. However, there is a hint of unease beneath the surface, suggested by the figure’s wide eyes and slightly anxious smile. The juxtaposition of rough textures and delicate lines adds further visual intrigue and emotional candour.

Throughout his career, Abrahams has participated in numerous exhibitions. He has been an active member of The London Group since his election in 1977, regularly showing with them, even prior to his election. He has also featured in several editions of the annual Discerning Eye Exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London. In 2014 he launched his monograph at the London Art Book Fair at the Whitechapel Gallery. He also shows with Espacio Gallery, which mounted a solo exhibition in 2000, featuring paintings across a range of scales, including many portraits similar to the one in the Ben Uri collection. In 2015, he showed in Mono at Espacio, dedicated solely to black and white works. Split into two sections, Mono 1 and Mono 2, the show provided artists the opportunity to explore the complexities of monochrome expression across various styles, subjects, and mediums. In 2019, he had a solo exhibition at a virtual gallery on the Moon, which included a memorial room for Moich’s mother’s family, who perished in the Holocaust. More recently, his work was displayed in the window of Goodman Fine Art Gallery in Duke Street, St James's in 2023 and, in 2024, his Self-portrait was included in the Ben Uri exhibition Lancelot Ribeiro – Heads in and Out of Our Time , as part of a supporting display accompanying Ribeiro’s exploration of portraiture and imagined heads and faces.

Abrahams has received several art prizes during his career, including winning the ArtSlant prize three times and in 2013 he was a prizewinner at the Rootstein Hopkins Drawing Exhibition at the Morley Gallery. Beyond his art, he has ardently explored the realm of the paranormal, even leading workshops to help others cultivate their intuitive abilities. Throughout his life, Abrahams has maintained close connections with other art world figures, including Ken Kiff, George Melly, John Bellany, and Anthony Green. Moich Abrahams lives in Battersea, London, England, with a studio in Streatham. In the UK public domain his works are part of the Ben Uri Collection.

Related books

  • Moich Abrahams, Moich Abrahams (Oxford: Holywell Press, 2014)

Public collections

Related organisations

  • Byam Shaw School of Art (student )
  • Goldsmiths, University of London (student )
  • King's College London (student )
  • Kingsmuir school (teacher )
  • Monkton Wyld school (teacher )
  • The London Group (member )

Related web links

Selected exhibitions

  • Lancelot Ribeiro: Heads In and Out of Time (solo exhibition with group support), Ben Uri Gallery and Museum (2024)
  • Window display, Goodman Fine Art Gallery, London (2023)
  • New Acquisitions and Long-term Loans (group show), Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, London (2020)
  • Moich Abrahams (solo exhibition as part of the Open Art 2019), Virtual Moon Gallery, online (2019)
  • Mono (group show), Espacio Gallery, London (2015)
  • Moich Abrahams (solo exhibition), Espacio Gallery, London (2015)
  • Draw II (group show), Cello Factory, London (2015)
  • Inspiration (with the London Group), Kensington & Chelsea College, London (2010)
  • The British Home (group show as part of Lambeth Open), Crown Lane, London (2010)
  • Discerning Eye Exhibition (group show), Mall Galleries, London (2009)
  • Open Exhibition, Ben Uri Gallery, London (1983)
  • Discerning Eye Exhibition (group show), Mall Galleries, London (2023)
  Moich Abrahams
   
Ben Uri collection

Moich Abrahams in the Ben Uri collection

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Moich Abrahams]

Ben Uri library

Publications related to [Moich Abrahams] in the Ben Uri Library