Reuven Berman KadimIsraeli Round Tondo Hard Edged Geometric Abstract Color Painting Reuven Berman, 1974

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Reuven Kadim (Mark Berman) Kadim, Israeli, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,USA, 1929-2014. Identified with geometric abstract art. Since 1985 worked with classical … Read more Reuven Kadim (Mark Berman) Kadim, Israeli, born Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,USA, 1929-2014. Identified with geometric abstract art. Since 1985 worked with classical ancient Mediterranean imagery, and Since 1995 worked exclusively with computer on new versions of Islamic and fractal patterns. 1983 Curator of the 17th International Biennale of Sao Paulo, Brazil. 1961-72 Art Critic for "Jerusalem Post"; 1966-73 Art Critic for "Yedioth Ahronoth" newspaper. Lived and worked in Rehovot.
Education
1948-49 Los Angeles City College, California, USA, Anthropology and Architectural Design
1954-56 New Bezalel School of Art, Jerusalem
Teaching
1977-84 The Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Architecture, and Town Planning
since 1979 Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Jerusalem
1984 Sadna Workshop for Architecture and Design, Tel Aviv.

Reuven Berman Kadim (1929 - 2014)
Radiant Tondo No 6
65 X 65 cm
Acrylic paint on plywood
Hand signed and dated verso


Reuven Berman Kadim was born on 14 December 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Studied art in Philadelphia and later in Los Angeles, where he graduated from high school as an art major. 1949 Studied anthropology and architectural design, Los Angeles City College, appeared in professional theatre, became active in Zionist youth movement, apprenticeship in landscape gardening. 1950 Settled in Israel. Gardener in Kibbutz Urim until 1953.
Residence in Jerusalem until Spring 1957. Intensive reading and writing (mostly poetry), attended lectures at Hebrew University (archaeology and history). Resumed painting and drawing after break of four years. 1954-1956 Studied at Bezalel Academy, (no art department at the time). Spent seven months in Mexico in 1957. Accepted by Mexican artist Diego Rivera as apprentice in painting and repair of frescoes. Plan aborted due to serious illness of Rivera. Important meeting with artist Rufino Tamayo whose work reflected deep connection with ancient Mexican art. Painted and held first solo show in Mexico City. 1958-1970 Lived in Tel Aviv and Holon. Worked as editor, illustrator and exhibition designer. 1965 Five-month stay in U.S.A. where he came into fertile contact with American art. Since 1970 lives and works in Rehovot.

1963-1972 Art critic for The Jerusalem Post; 1966-1973 Art critic for Yedioth Ahronoth. Among curatorial projects: 1969 large Israeli representation at Biennale for Young Artists, Paris, 1984 Sao Paulo Biennale; The Rational Factor, Haifa Museum of Modern Art, 1986 Album of prints by teacher-artists, marking 80th anniversary of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. 1966-1969 and 1979-1982, member of Plastic Arts Section, Public Council for Art and Culture, Israel Ministry of Education and Culture.

Teaching 1977 - 1994: Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Haifa; Senior Lecturer Art Department, Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem; Sadna Workshop for Architecture and Design, Tel Aviv.

1958 First abstract and non-objective paintings; 1966 First artist in Israel to abandon rectangular formats as an unquestioned convention; first geometric hard-edge paintings. The Hard-edge painting style is related to Geometric abstraction, Op Art, Post-painterly Abstraction, and Color Field painting. 1971 began to develop color structures based on rational ordering principles. 1983 initiated a Bezalel course entitled The Near East as the Source for Art Now that underwent variations over a four year period when his own concepts underwent significant changes. During 1980s and 1990s travel mainly in Mediterranean countries. 1985 Began integration of identifiable cross-cultural and cross-temporal images with concrete harmonic order. 1990 produced his first free-standing work. 1991 Developed three-dimensional ideas during five-month stay in the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. These new works were directly related to the concepts of tel, reliquary, ark, temple, Islamic patterns and fractal theory. Added the Hebrew prefix Kadim to his name. Since 1995, computer-imaging has been his exclusive medium. Latest works realized as laser and inkjet prints. 1999 First large-scale work (five meters).
In 2004 the artist opened a big scale exhibition in Tel- Aviv Museum of Art - "Patterns/ An East-West Symbolism". Recently after he began working on his personal site and an Artist book. His book, "Reuven Berman Kadim- Geometric Art - The Hidden Order of Nature" was published in 2010 by Yediot Aharonot publishers and with the support of Mifal Hapais.Reuven Berman-Kadim passed away in November 2014.


Selected Exhibitions

1978 Galerie Denise Rene, Paris. France
1985 Mabat Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1987, Israeli Art - Ten Years of Acquisition, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
Artists: Nachum Gutman, Samuel Bak, Ivan Schwebel, Yaacov Agam, Lea Nikel, George Chemeche, Tsibi Geva, Nahum Tevet, Larry Abramson.
1989, 40 From Israel: Contemporary Sculpture & Drawing 40 From Israel: Contemporary Sculpture & Drawing, Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam, Holland. Artists: Ilan Averbuch, Osvaldo Romberg, Dina Recanati, Motti Mizrachi, Israel Hadany, Kadim (Berman), Reuven Zigi Ben Haim, Zadok Ben-David.
2007 Bezalel 2007, Public Auction, Sotheby‘s Tel-Aviv.
2007 Seminar Embroidery: Embroidery and Calligraphy in Modern Art in Israel. Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva
2015 Israeli Art from the Museum Collection
Dina and Raphael Recanati Family Foundation Galleries Herta and Paul Amir Building, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv
Artists: Diti Almog, Shai Azoulay, Reuven Berman Kadim, Moshe Gershuni, Aviva Uri, Menashe Kadishman, Igael Tumarkin, Itzhak Danziger, Reuven Rubin, Yehiel Shemi, Moshe Mokady, Moshe Castel, Mordecai Ardon, Dani Karavan, Naftali Bezem, Marcel Janco, Benni Efrat, Pinchas Cohen Gan, Buky Schwartz.
Israeli Modernism in the 1970s: Collection of the Haifa Museum of Art
Artists: Mikhail Grobman, Samuel Ackerman, Yehiel Shemi, Moshe Gershuni, Kadim (Berman), Reuven.
20 Years: Sommer Contemporary Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
Artists: Kadim (Berman), Reuven, Yael Bartana, Adi Nes, Yehudit Sasportas, Moshe Kupferman. See less