Siona Shimshi
Encyclopedia
Siona Shimshi is an Israeli painter, sculptor, ceramist, and textile designer.
, to Haya Rivka (Kuklanski) and Avraham Shimshi, who had immigrated to Palestine from Lithuania
in 1933. She married Jachin Hirsch, an Israeli filmmaker, in 1961.
She studied at the Avni Institute in Tel Aviv from 1956–59, with Avigdor Stematsky
, Yehezkel Streichman
, and Moshe Mokady. She also studied ceramics at Alfred University
in New York, from 1959–62, as well as at Greenwich House Pottery
in New York City.
, Raffi Lavie
, and others.
Shimshi was head of the Ceramic Design Department and taught as a professor at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
in Jerusalem, from 1979–87. In 1979, she designed the set for a performance of A Simple Story
by Shmuel Yosef Agnon
for the Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv.
In 1993–94, she was the curator
of an exhibition of Dora Gad
, in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art
.
Among her creations are a work in wood that is exhibited in the King David Hotel
in Jerusalem, a wall hanging at the Tel Aviv Hilton, a 1998 sculpture for Israel's 50th anniversary that is exhibited in Holon, glass walls at Kennedy Airport in New York City, and a 2004 portrait painting of Natan Alterman that appears on the facade of Tel Aviv City Hall
.
Shimshi was awarded the 1988 Ariel Elchanini Prize by the Joshua Rabinowitz Foundation for Arts, for her sculpture in Goren Goldstein Park in Tel Aviv. In 2005, she was voted the 197th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Early life
Shimshi was born in Tel AvivTel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, to Haya Rivka (Kuklanski) and Avraham Shimshi, who had immigrated to Palestine from Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
in 1933. She married Jachin Hirsch, an Israeli filmmaker, in 1961.
She studied at the Avni Institute in Tel Aviv from 1956–59, with Avigdor Stematsky
Avigdor Stematsky
Avigdor Stematsky was a Russian-born Israeli painter. He is considered one of the pioneers of Israeli abstract art.-Biography:Stematsky was born in 1908 in Odessa. In 1922, he immigrated to Palestine and attended the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem from 1926 to 1928. He joined the Massad group...
, Yehezkel Streichman
Yehezkel Streichman
Yehezkel Streichman was an Israeli painter. He is considered a pioneer of Israeli modernist painting. Among the awards that he won were the Dizengoff Prize and the Israel Prize.-Early life:Streichman was born in Kovno, Lithuania...
, and Moshe Mokady. She also studied ceramics at Alfred University
Alfred University
Alfred University is a small, comprehensive university in the Village of Alfred in Western New York, USA, an hour and a half south of Rochester and two hours southeast of Buffalo. Alfred has an undergraduate population of around 2,000, and approximately 300 graduate students...
in New York, from 1959–62, as well as at Greenwich House Pottery
Greenwich House Pottery
Founded in New York's Greenwich Village in 1909, Greenwich House Pottery was a major American outpost of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was founded as a place both to teach pottery making skills to new immigrants and to carry on the tradition and art of ceramics...
in New York City.
Art career
In 1965, she was a co-founder of a group of artists called the "10+ Group", along with artists Buky SchwartzBuky Schwartz
-Biography:Schwartz was born in Jerusalem in 1932. From 1956 to 1958, he studied sculpture with Yitzhak Danziger at the Avni Institute of Art and Design in Tel Aviv. In 1959, he moved to London, where he studied at the St. Martin's School of Art from 1959 to 1962. After returning to Israel in...
, Raffi Lavie
Raffi Lavie
Raffi Lavie was an Israeli artist, art educator and music/art critic.-Biography:Lavi was born in Tel Aviv, Mandate Palestine. He began teaching at the Midrasha Art Academy in 1966. In the same year he was also a founder of the group Ten Plus. Lavie's work is a cross between graffiti and abstract...
, and others.
Shimshi was head of the Ceramic Design Department and taught as a professor at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is Israel's national school of art, founded in 1906 by Boris Schatz. It is named for the Biblical figure Bezalel, son of Uri , who was appointed by Moses to oversee the design and construction of the Tabernacle ....
in Jerusalem, from 1979–87. In 1979, she designed the set for a performance of A Simple Story
A Simple Story
A Simple Story may refer to:* A Simple Story by Elizabeth Inchbald* A Simple Story, a novella by Shmuel Yosef Agnon, translated from the 1935 Hebrew original, Sippur Pashut* A Simple Story , a 1958 film...
by Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Shmuel Yosef Agnon , was a Nobel Prize laureate writer and was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew fiction. In Hebrew, he is known by the acronym Shai Agnon . In English, his works are published under the name S. Y. Agnon.Agnon was born in Galicia, Austro-Hungarian Empire...
for the Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv.
In 1993–94, she was the curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
of an exhibition of Dora Gad
Dora Gad
Dora Gad was an Israeli interior designer, whose work had significant influence on the development of modern Israeli architecture.- Early life :...
, in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. It was established in 1932 in a building that was the home of Tel Aviv's first mayor, Meir Dizengoff. The Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art opened in 1959. The museum moved to its current location on King Saul Avenue in...
.
Among her creations are a work in wood that is exhibited in the King David Hotel
King David Hotel
The King David Hotel is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and was founded by Ezra Mosseri, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish Banker. To this day the hotel remains one of the most prominent and prestigious hotels in Israel, and...
in Jerusalem, a wall hanging at the Tel Aviv Hilton, a 1998 sculpture for Israel's 50th anniversary that is exhibited in Holon, glass walls at Kennedy Airport in New York City, and a 2004 portrait painting of Natan Alterman that appears on the facade of Tel Aviv City Hall
Tel Aviv City Hall
The Tel Aviv City Hall is the center of the government of Tel Aviv, Israel, and houses the mayor's office and the meeting chambers and offices of the Tel Aviv City Council.- History :...
.
Shimshi was awarded the 1988 Ariel Elchanini Prize by the Joshua Rabinowitz Foundation for Arts, for her sculpture in Goren Goldstein Park in Tel Aviv. In 2005, she was voted the 197th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
External links
- Siona Shimshi website
- Siona Shimshi, ציונה שמשי, Julie M. Gallery (1990)