Gideon Gechtman

Israeli artist and sculptor

Gideon Gechtman

Born	1942
Died	November 27, 2008
Nationality	Israeli
Known for	sculpture
Movement	Israeli art

Gideon Gechtman (1942 – November 27, 2008) was an Israeli artist and sculptor. His art is most noted for holding a dialogue with death, often in relation with his own biography.

Biography

Gideon Gechtman was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He moved to the British mandate of Palestine with his family in 1945. He studied at the Avni Institute of Art and Design (1961–1962), Hammersmith College of Art (1968–1971), the Ealing School of Art, and Tel Aviv University (1975–1976).

After returning from London with his future wife singer/actress Bat-Sheva Zeisler, he created minimalistic art that was typical for that period. These works were described to "didactically demonstrate structural and figurative change in material and appearance."^[1] Gechtman taught at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem (1972–1975) and the Art Teachers Training College of Beit Berl Academic College (1971–2008).

In 1973 Gechtman had his first solo exhibition in the Yodfat Gallery in Tel Aviv. The exhibition, named "Exposure", signified Gechtman's increasing interest in the connection between art and the biographic dimension. On the walls of the gallery were enlarged photographs of the body shaving process before the open heart surgery that Gechtman underwent in 1973. Also in this exhibition were real and fabricated documents regarding Gechtman's medical condition. At the closure of the exhibition Gechtman put up obituaries for himself in Israeli dailies Haaretz and the Jerusalem Post, as well as around his home in Rishon LeZion. Gechtman told later about the reactions: "Teachers from Bezalel said to me: 'Have you gone mad? You frightened everyone.'"^[2] The obituaries were a returning element in Gechtman's art for years to come.

In 1999, he exhibited a remodelled hospital environment under the name Yotam, named after his son who had died.

Gideon Gechtman died of heart failure on November 27, 2008.^[3]

Gallery

Exposure, 1973
Installation view, Ydfat Fallery, Tel Aviv
Brushes (Bat-Sheva, Gideon and Yotam Gechtman), 1974
human hair, wood, copper plaques, glass
Obituary Notices, 1975
Bulletin board in Rishon LeZion
Cart, 1982-1984
wood, formica, iron, rubber, brass. base painting in superlac on plywood
Obituaries, 1984
Installation view, Neomi Givon Gallery, Tel Aviv
Obituary Notice, 1984
superlac on plywood, 79.5x103.5 cm.
Mitot, 1985
Installation view, Kibbutz Gallery, Tel Aviv
Preparation for Mausoleum No.1, 1988
Installation view, Artists Studios Workshops, Jerusalem
Vase, 1992
Fiberglass and Paint
Ibn Gabirol Street, Tel Aviv
Echo, 1995
Mix Media
Chedva, 1995
Installation view, Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv
Yotam, 1999
Installation view, Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art
Peacock, 1999
Israel Museum Collection
Neon obituary notice, 2006
Orange obituary notice
Launching Apparatus, 2008
Installation view, Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv

Education

1961-62 Avni Institute, Tel Aviv
1962-63 Ealing School of Art, London
1968-70 Hammersmith College of Art, London
1975-76 Tel Aviv University, philosophy and art history

Prizes

1970 – Royal Academy, London
1989 – Ministry of Education Prize for Completion of Project
1990 – Histadrut Prize
1993 – Minister of Science and Arts Prize for Creations in the Realm of Plastic Arts
1995 – Tel Aviv Museum of Art Prize
1997 – Israel Discount Bank Prize for an Israeli Artist, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
1999 – George and Janet Geffin Prize for Excellence in Plastic Arts, America Israel Cultural Foundation
2002 – Haifa Museum Award for Art for distinguished achievement in contemporary creative arts
2006 – Ministry of culture prize for his life's work.

Solo exhibitions

1973 – Exposure, Yodfat Gallery, Tel Aviv
1984 – Givon Art Gallery, Tel Aviv
1985 – Mitot, Kibbutz Gallery, Tel Aviv
1988 – Preparation for Mausoleum No.1, Artists Studios, Jerusalem
1992 – Israel Echo, Bograshov Gallery, Tel Aviv
1996 – Chedva, Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv
1999 – Yotam, Herzliya Museum of Art
2001 – Etude, Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv
2001 – Infinite Regress, Wiensowski & Harbord, Berlin
2003 – Chedva, Gideon and all the Rest, Artists House, Tel Aviv
2003 – Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa
2007 – Initial Concept, Petah Tikva Museum of Art
2007 – Dead Line, Beit Kanner Municipal Gallery, Rishon Lezion
2008 – Launching Apparatus, Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv
2012 – Butterflies & Pyramids, Chelouche Gallery, Tel Aviv
2013 – Gideon Gechtman, 1942–2008, Israel Museum, Jerusalem

References

^ Ofrat G: Gideon Gechtman, works 1972-1986. Tel Aviv: Stavit, 1986. (in Hebrew)
^ Dana Gillerman (31 May 2007). אתם לא רואים שאני הולך באוויר [You don't see that I walk on air]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 August 2014.
^ Artist Gideon Gechtman passed away. Maariv 2008-11-28. Accessed 2008-11-28. (in Hebrew)^{[dead link]}

גכטמן מדבר על המוות [Gechtman Talks About Death]. Ynet (in Hebrew). 15 February 2009.

External links

Gideon Gechtman collection at the Israel Museum.
"Gideon Gechtman". Information Center for Israeli Art. Israel Museum.
Art of Gideon Gechtman at Europeana. Retrieved ^{[dead link]}

Museums and galleries

Gideon Gechtman at Chelouche Gallery
"Gideon Gechtman at Haifa Museum of Art". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2008-11-30.
Gideon Gechtman^{[permanent dead link]} at Petach Tikva Museum of Art

General art websites

Gideon Gechtman at Artfacts.net
"Gideon Gechtman at Stock Artist". Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2008-11-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)