Bio

London-based, Israeli artist Gabriel Klasmer has been working, exhibiting and teaching since the early 1980’s. Klasmer exhibited in numerous galleries internationally and was awarded several art prizes among them the prestigious Israeli Museum’s Sandberg Prize (1990). He is in major collections of the museums in Israel, and in the Museum of Modern art in New York, along with many private collections. In 1996 Klasmer represented Israel in the 23rd International Biennial of Sao Paulo.

On winning the Clore scholarship, Gabriel came to London to study MA and later completed a PhD research degree both at the Royal College of Art in London. His research focused on the examination of the history and status of the monochrome painting, and his ongoing creation of a series of mechanical apparatuses that replace the human hand as a means of making work. This concern with formal questions has extended into a number of exhibitions: for example his show at the Givon Gallery in 2001 featured a monochromatic painting that anticipated the arrival of a viewer in the space by tipping itself 90 degrees from the vertical to the horizontal, acting as a reminder that reading of abstract painting often rely on the angle of view.

In his latest works, from 2007, Klasmer extends his engagement in abstraction to figuration by painting what maybe the most intriguing form of representation: the human face. Similar to his abstract ‘sequence’ work, these paintings rely on very similar processes, procedures and “machines”, however, unlike the abstract painting, these painting represent and introduce the emotional complexity of recognition.

CV 2009

Awards:

2002 - Mendel and Eva Pundik Foundation prize for an Israeli Artist, Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

1995 - Janet and George Jaffin Award for Plastic Arts America Israel Cultural Foundation.

1991 - Clore Scholarship for the RCA.

1990 - The Sandberg Prize for Israel Art, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

1989 - Minister of Education and Culture Prize for Painting and Sculpture.

1987 - Jacques O’Hana Prize for Young Israeli Artists, The Tel Aviv Museum.

Selected One Person Exhibition:

2009 - ‘Parzufot ‘ Stephen Wirtz gallery , San Francisco , Ca, USA.

2008 - ‘Portraits and New landscape painting’ Givon Art Gallery, Tel Aviv.

2007 - ‘The face , Landscape, Gesture and the Monochrome’. Alexia Goethe Gallery, London.

2006 - Gabi Klasmer and Yoni Gold , Givon gallery Tel Aviv.

- ‘Car in the Sun’, public art for Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Foundation.

2004 - ‘Lets Talk Politics’ Hubertus Wunschik Gallery , Munchengladbach , Germany.

2002 - ‘Assassin' The Herzlia Museum of Art, Herzlia, Israel

2000 - Square Paintings Gallery Pierre Brulle’, Paris (cat)

1997 - Todd Gallery, London.

1996 - 23rd International Biennial of Sao Paulo, Brazil

1995 - Office in Tel Aviv, “Ulay” (cat).

1993 - Hubertus Wunschik Gallery, Dusseldorf, Germany (cat).

1990 - Givon Gallery, Tel Aviv (cat)

1986 - Fisher Gallery, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA (cat).

1985 - Gallery X+, Brussels.

1984 - Gallery X+, Brussels (cat)

- Schone Unendlich Organisation, Hamburg, Germany.

1983 - The Tel Aviv Museum, Helena Rubinstein Pavilion (with David Reev).

- The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, “Gabi Klasmer, Paintings (cat).

1982 - Gimel Gallery, Jerusalem. (Also in 1987, 1988, 1989)

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2008 - ‘Insomniac Promenades’ Sleeping / Dreaming in Contemporary Art, Passage de Retz, Paris.

- The Third Decade - ‘My Own Body’ Art in Israel 1968 – 1978, Tel Aviv Museum of Art

- The Forth Decade -‘ Check – Post’, Art in Israel in the 1980s Haifa Museum of Art .

2007 - ‘Object d’Art, Alexia Goethe Gallery, London

2005 - ‘Carpe Diem’- Gallery Huberttus Wunschik, Monchengladbach, Germany.

2004 - “Grid Image in Israeli Art “ University of Haifa – The Art Gallery. (Cat)

2003 - ‘Treason’ artist in research at the Royal College of Art , Café Gallery Projects, London.

2002 - “ Where are the children” Givon Gallery, Tel Aviv and The Ein Harod Museum, Ein Harod

- “Focus on Painting” Haifa Museum of Art. (cat)

2001 - ‘Message to the New Millennium’ Israeli Art Today’ The Museum of Modern Art, Saitama, Japan.

- ‘Love at First Sight’, The Vera Silvia and Arturo Schwarz Collection of Israeli Art

1999 - “Vision of Light “ A Century of watercolour in Israel, Israel Museum, Jerusalem . (cat)

- “The Mechanized Sublime”, Ways of observing in the works of Deganit, Berest, Yitzhak Livneh, Gabriel Klasmer.

The Genia Schriber University Gallery, Tel Aviv University. (Cat)

1996 - The Israel Presentation, The 23rd International Biennale, Sao Paulo' Brazil (cat).

- “The Seventies in Israeli Art”, Tel Aviv Museum,(cat) Tel Aviv Museum. (Cat)

1994 - “Wir hier” Grosse Kunst Ausstellung Dusseldorf., Kunsthalle Vestisches Museum, Kutschrrhaus, Germany.

- Todd Gallery, London. ( four artists)

- “Ultima- Cosmic Images in Israeli Art”, The Museums Forum, (cat).

1993 - “Subtropical”, The Tel Aviv Museum, Tel Aviv (cat)

1992 - “Barclays Young Artists Award, 1992", Serpentine Gallery, London (cat).

- “Routs of Wandering” The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (cat)

- “Postscripts” The University Art Gallery, Tel Aviv University (cat).

- “Position Israel” Kunstlhaus, Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (cat).

1991 - “Six Artists from Israel” Delta Gallery, Dusseldorf,.

- “Place and Mainstream” 44 From Israel Contemporary Sculpture Hara Museum Ark, Fukuoka Art Museum Japan. (Cat)

1990 - “Binational Israel/USSR Kunsthalle Dusseldorf and Moscow, Central House of Artists

1988 - “Neun Israelische Maler” (nine Israeli Painters) KunstHause, Zurich Orangerie Herrenhausen Hanover (cat).

- “Fresh Paint The Younger Generation in Israeli-Art”, The Tel Aviv Museum and the

Israel Museum, Jerusalem. (cat).

- “ In the Shadow of the Conflict: Israeli Art 1980-1989” The Jewish Museum, New York.

1987 - “Down With the Occupation 1967-1987" Association of Artists for Freedom of Expression, Israel, (Travelling Exhibition of Prints).

- “80 Luven Taidetta Israelsta/ 80 Tals Konst Fran Israel, (80's Art from Israel) Taidehalli, Helsinki and Konsthall, Lund, Sweden,.

1986 - “The Concernd Eye” Israel Art Today, Port of History Museum Philadelphia, USA (cat)

- “Colour Territory” 42nd International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale, Israel Pavilion, (cat).

1985 - “Kunst in Israel, 1906 -1985 “, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerp (cat)

- “Milestones in Israel Art “ The Israel Museum, Jerusalem(cat)

- “Ancient Currents” Ficsher Gallery, University of Southern California, USA (cat)

1984: - “Contemporary Art from Israel” Israel Arts Festival, Chicago,

- “ Two Years, Qualities Accumulated, 1983-1985“ The Tel Aviv Museum (cat)

1983: - XVII Bieanal de Saulo Paulo, Brazil (cat).

- “Artists Exhibit in Eilon” Kibutz Eilon, Upper Galilee, (cat)

1982 - “Hear and Now” The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, (cat)

- “Ulam Project” Artists House,Jerusalem,

1979: - “Performance 79 ”, Artist house, Tel Aviv.(cat)