Itzik Ben Shalom, Itzik Benshalom Israeli Bronze Sculpture Homage to Henry Moore Couple of Lovers

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Itzik Benshalom (Israeli, 1945-2018) Lovers Mounted on black plinth base This is not hand signed or numbered and might be … Read more Itzik Benshalom (Israeli, 1945-2018) Lovers Mounted on black plinth base This is not hand signed or numbered and might be a maquette for a larger work. Material is bronze or brass Dimensions: 14"h x 11.5"w x 5"d Provenance: Newel Antiques Itzik Benshalom was born in Hadera, Israel, in 1945, Benshalom is a self taught artist with no formal art training. Benshalom became a merchant marine at the age of fifteen. This formative experience influenced his work as he travelled the world absorbing new images. Upon completing his military service in the Israeli Navy, Benshalom knew that he wanted to work with metal -a material that had always fascinated him. In 1967, he and his brother-in-law set up a foundry specializing in the lost-wax method of casting sculpture. For 15 years Benshalom worked with other artists, helping them to realize their concepts, until one day, he started to sketch a design he had carried in his mind for over a year. Of this moment Benshalom has stated, “The day I stopped doing other people’s work and cast my first bronze, is the day my life began.” Ben Shalom's sculpture refers to human emotion. Created in pairs, male and female, the sculptures are often kinetic with moveable pieces. The juxtaposition expresses the essence of Ben Shalom's statement and his concern with human interaction. His work bears the influence of Henry Moore, Constantin Brancusi and Hans Jean Arp. He is of the same generation of Israeli artists such as Aharon Bezalel, Menashe Kadishman, Yaacov Agam, Ruth Bloch and Itzik Asher. He says of his work, "The 20th-century artist has to work primarily within the psyche of alienation. The overlay of modern existence which seems to be communicated more by electronic media than anything else, denies basic human emotions love, anger, understanding, all are reduced to cipher. I see my work as an attempt to remind people of a more primal form of humanism. In a sense, I see a need to redefine emotion". Itzik Benshalom is known for abstract sculpture, amorphous figurative shapes. His works are to be found in museums and public places as well as corporate and private collections throughout Europe, Israel and North America. Benshalom and his wife Hannas, also an artist in lacework, as well as a designer of fine jewelry, live with their three children in Hadera, Israel. Benshalom was represented by Christy contemporary art - London & Nahan Galleries New York & New Orleans. Benshalom’s sculptures are in private, public, and corporate collections throughout the world including Israel, Japan, England, and the United States. Museum Collections: Boca Raton Museum of Art- FL Ground for Sculpture Museum- Hamilton, N.J Flint Institute of Art- MIC Museum of Fine Art- Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada See less