"The Golden Age" Exhibition Open House and Curator Talk

Curated by Matthew Garson

Israeli artist Shlomo Katz’s career spanned from the 1970s until his untimely death in 1992. Inspired by medieval icons and oriental miniatures, Katz developed an original technique of painting by applying oil on top of gold leaf. The result was a combination of deep vibrant colors combined with a metallic surface that glowed, forming a totally new modern image filled with light. His artistic style and preoccupation with beauty and aesthetics is deeply rooted in the European culture in which he was born, while distancing him from what other contemporary artists created in Israel at that time.

ABOUT SHLOMO KATZ: Born in Łódz, Poland, in 1937, Shlomo Katz immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine when he was just eight-years old. Educated in Kibbutz Mishmar Ha`emek, his talent for drawing was apparent from the very beginning. As a young man he went to Paris where he studied art at École des Beaux-Arts. Inspired by medieval icons and oriental miniatures, Katz developed an original technique of painting by applying oil on top of gold leaf. The result was a combination of deep vibrant colors combined with a metallic surface that glowed, forming a totally new modern image filled with light. “The Golden Age” is the first exhibition of Katz’s work since his death in March 1992 in Holon, Israel.