Tamar Eytan - Sculptress

I first read about the work of Tamar Eytan, sculptress, on the website GoJerusalem.com in the spring of 2012. The picture of some clay men sitting on a bench really caught my fancy. Last spring I visited the Tamar Eytan’s permanent gallery on the rooftop of a retirement home around the corner from the Islamic Museum. I visited twice more on different days but at different times of the day, so I could continue taking pictures of Tamar Eytan’s world in different lights. Each time I was by myself with the wonderful characters of Tamar Eytan’s community. There was no admission, no security guards, no other fans or art lovers. Just me and her people. This summer (2013) as I ran through the upscale Mamilla outdoor shopping mall, I was startled and pleased to see more of Tamar Eytan’s work. I recognized “them” immediately. Her style is so whimsical, so satirical. The three men sitting outside the entry of this overblown shopping centre have pride of place. I imagined them slapping their knees, oblivious to the tourists and shoppers around them who sometimes share their bench in order to have their pictures taken. Maybe these men pause in their conversations to comment about these intruders, but I don’t think so; they are enjoying their own way too much.

“Tamar Ethan was born in Lodz, Poland in 1919. Her family immigrated to Israel when she was five years. She spent her childhood in Tel Aviv and was educated at Zahava's nursery, Jonah Street, elementary school Geula and later - Gymnasia Herzliya. In 1936, with the opening of "New Bezalel" Tamar was one of his students studied sculpture with sculptor Ze'ev Ben - Zvi. In 1938, she studied in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Art. With the outbreak of the Second World War Tamar moved back to Israel and served in the British Army. After the war she continued to study with sculptor Moshe Sternschuss, at the Avni Institute. In 1947 she accompanied her husband on his mission to the United States in the civil service and studied at the Universal School of Handicrafts in New York. The War of Independence and 1948 brought her back to Israel. Tamar opened her own studio and created wood sculptures, stone sculptures (mainly basalt), and also dealt ceramic sculpture in the early 1960s. After several years she began to teach sculpture and ceramics. In 1971 the family returned to Jerusalem. Tamar went on to teach college, and work at her studio in Jerusalem. During these years, she concentrated on sculpture in wood and stone. At that time, she also created wall hangings and canvas pictures which she presented at the Israel Museum. She has also worked in copper - foil and solder, but in all of these works, she has always maintained three – dimensional aspect. Over the years, she has returned to her first love, material. Her past exhibitions have included mainly ceramic sculpture. In 2009 she published her book Tamar them - a point in the universe. She is a member of the Jerusalem Artists.”

Source: http://translate.google.co.il/translate?hl=en&sl=iw&u=http://www.tamar-eytan.com/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtamar%2BEytan%26biw%3D773%26bih%3D579

Tamar Eytan’s site http://www.tamar-eytan.com/

Watch:

Link to movie of rooftop show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wuw7i6aaKVg

Movie in Hebrew: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFgzKV20Eck