Born in Lwów, Poland, Erna Rosenstein studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków and later in Warsaw. Her artistic development was profoundly shaped by her experiences as a Holocaust survivor, which informed the psychological depth and symbolic language of her practice.

Rosenstein worked across painting, assemblage, and drawing, frequently incorporating organic forms and dreamlike imagery into her compositions. Her surrealist approach often blended personal narrative with abstract motifs, reflecting a lifelong engagement with the intersection of reality and the imagination.

Her legacy continues to be examined through retrospective exhibitions that highlight her role in the development of Polish modernism. Her work remains a subject of academic and curatorial interest for its unique synthesis of surrealist aesthetics and historical testimony.