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Shmulik And Shraga In Paris: The Journey Of Shmuel Katz And Shraga Weil, 1953
Shraga Weil, Shmuel Katz
Curator: Bartos Ron, Tamir Tali
7 Sep — 9 November, 2019
Curators Ron Bartos and Tali Tamir joined forces to curate an exhibition featuring two of the most prominent artists of the Kibbutz Ha’artzi:Shraga Weil (1918–2009) illustrator of the Ten Commandments of Hashomer Hatzair and Hakibbutz Ha’artzi Passover Haggadah and Shmuel Katz (1926–2010) illustrator of Yigal Mossinson’s Hasamba children’s book series and Leah Goldberg’s children’s book, Dira Lehaskir [Flat for Rent].
The exhibition focuses on one unique year in their long careers—1953—the year in which they traveled to Paris to study printmaking and mural techniques at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts—so they could implement them upon return in the Kibbutz Movement’s visual sphere.
The exhibition will span works on paper from that year, reflecting a twofold gaze at the French capital: on the one hand, both artists depicted the beautiful, stylized Paris and the atmosphere of the cafés and parks; on the other hand, as loyal socialists, they portrayed the beggars and drunken tramps under the bridges.
In addition to these themes, both kibbutz members in Paris depicted the landscapes of the kibbutz and the Arab village, showing their loyalty to the country and movement that sent them on this adventure.
Another aspect of the exhibition refers to the weekly satirical column in Al Hamishmar, in which the two, primarily Katz, documented their European journey with typical humor.
Shmulik and Shraga used their base in Paris to travel throughout Europe, their place of origin, and perpetuated their journey in their sketchbooks and personal diaries, which are showcased in the exhibition.