Matanya Abramson was an Israeli sculptor

Sculpture

Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

 whose sculptures have been exhibited worldwide as well as in Israel. Matanya is a versatile artist who worked in marble, stone, and wood, as well as with bronze, aluminum and copper castings.

Biography

Abramson was born in the village of Kinneret, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...

. He was the son of a pioneering farmer family that immigrated from Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 in the early 1900s.

Abramson started painting in childhood. After completing studies at the Mikve Israel agricultural school, he studied painting with various Israeli artists. He spent 12 years in military service in the Haganah

Haganah

Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...

, JSP

JSP

JSP may stand for:* Jake Shea's Parties* Joe Six-Pack, Attributed to Sarah Palin, 2008 vice presidential candidate* Ji-Sung Park, South Korean footballer* Jacketed, Soft Point, a type of bullet* Jackson Structured Programming* Japan Socialist Party...

, Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

, Palyam

Palyam

Palyam was the sea force of the Palmach.-History:Palyam was set up in April 1945 as the Palmach's tenth company which originated from the Palmach's Naval Platoon. The Company's first commander was Abraham Zakai...

, Palmach

Palmach

The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...

 and the IDF

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

.

After the Israeli War of Independence in 1948, Abramson studied sculpture from Schwarzmann and Koso Elul and spent 6 months in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 in 1954. After returning from Paris, he went back to the farm in Kinneret and worked in agriculture, pursuing art in his free time.

In 1959, Abramson left the farming village and moved to the artists' quarter in Safed

Safed

Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...

.

In 1962 he went to Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 for two years, pursuing his art. Six months were spent in the marble mines in Carrara

Carrara

Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....

, and a year and a half was spent in Florence

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

. All his works from Italy were sent to an exhibition in New York in October 1963.

In 1964 he came back to Israel, living in the Ein-Kerem neighborhood of Jerusalem. In 1965 Abramson moved to Old Jaffa..

Abramson died in February 2004 and was buried in his home village, Kinneret, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Exhibitions & monuments

1960 - One Man Show - ZOA House, Tel-Aviv

1963 - One Man Show - Gallery Numero, Florence

1963 - One Man Show - Gallery Vercel, New-York

1965 - One Man Show - Gallery Vercel, New-York

1965 - Monument - Kibbutz Ein-Gedi (Israel)

1966 - One Man Show - Hamam, Old Jaffa (Israel)

1966 - Exhibition with the painter Alexander - Museum, Ramat Gan (Israel)

1967 - Exhibition with the painter Rosenboim - Museum, Bat-Yam (Israel)

1967 - Memorial Monument to the Fallen - Kinneret (Israel)

1968 - Third prize in the contest for building a monument in the square where a synagogue was burned down - Munich

1969 - Participant in an international symposium - Saint-Margareten (Austria)

1970 - One Man Show - Artists House, Jerusalem

1971 - One Man Show - Yarkon Gallery, Boston

1971 - Started work on monument in memory of "Oley Hagardom" - Acre (Israel)

1971 - Memorial Monument for the Fallen - Har-Habanim, Ramat-Gan (Israel)

1978 - One Man Show - Gallery Alte-Schmide, Vienna

1980 – large marble sculpture - Berlin Garden, Neot-Afeka, Tel-Aviv

1980 - One Man Show - Jewish-American Congress House, New-York

1983 - One Man Show - Herzliya Museum, Herzliya (Israel)

1986 - One Man Show - Institute Francais, Vienna

1986 - One Man Show - Gallery Susan Fischer, Baden-Baden

1992 - Exhibition with the painter Kipnis - Zurich Kosmus, Vienna