Maurice Ascalon
Maurice Ascalon (Hebrew מוריס אשקלון; * 1913, † 2003) was an Israeli sculptor and artist. He is considered the father of modern Israeli art movement.
Life
Maurice Ascalon was born under the name Moshe Klein in eastern Hungary. Ever since early youth he attempted to put his artistic aspirations, although he was thus forced to renounce its strictly religious roots ( Hasidism ). Artistic activities were in the shtetl, where he grew up, frowned upon. At the age of 15 years Ascalon left home and moved to Brussels to study at the Académie des Beaux -Arts art. His deep knowledge of the rituals and traditions of the Jewish ceremonies helped him here and also later in his artistic endeavors.
After his training in Brussels and later in Milan, Ascalon in 1934 emigrated to Israel, where he met his future wife Tzipporah Kartujinsky, a Polish-born Jewish.
In 1939 he created the four -foot hammered copper relief The Toiler of the Soil, the Laborer and the Scholar of the Jewish Pavilion at the World Exhibition in New York, with the concept of the modern Jewish state was presented. The sculpture is now in the Spertus Museum in Chicago.
In the late 30s Ascalon founded a factory in Israel, Pal- Bell, the menorahs made of bronze and brass manufactured. These and other Jewish works of art were exported with great success in the world.
The work and the design of Maurice Ascalon by a green -conscious artificial aging patina was introduced into the Israeli metal craft. This patina is still a hallmark of the handicraft industry of Israel.
During the 1948 War of Independence Ascalon was committed by the government, in his company to manufacture ammunition for the army and to develop new types of ammunition. Based on this experience emigrated Ascalon in 1956 in the United States.
In the first years in the U.S. Ascalon lived in New York and Los Angeles. It gained great recognition for his work as a silversmith and taught for a time sculpture at the Jewish University in Los Angeles.
In the late 70s Ascalon moved to the Philadelphia area and founded the Ascalon Studios. His company was known for site-specific art in public places and in churches and holding this call today upright under the leadership of his son David Ascalon.
In August 2003, a few months after his 90th birthday, Maurice Ascalon died from the effects of Parkinson's disease in Cuernavaca, Mexico.
Maurice Ascalon's legacy includes many installations throughout the United States, Mexico and Israel. His work has been exhibited in many museums, including the Jewish Museum in New York, the Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, the Spertus Museum in Chicago and the Jewish University in Los Angeles.