Eliahu Gat
2017
A monograph by Ron Bartos
Eliahu Gat was one of the greatest Israeli painters. A wild colorist and a gentle draftsman, the master of tumultuous expression and passion, and an incorrigible lover of the landscapes of Israel. Gat was also one the founders and undeclared leader of The Ten group, participated in the exhibition Tatzpit, founded and was of the leaders of Aclim group, received the Dizengoff Prize for Painting, initiated many artistic activities, was an esteemed educator who taught countless students, and an intellectual who held a sound cultural position in the local art scene.
This book unfolds the story of Eliahu Gat chronologically, divided into chapters according to the periods and the central bodies of work he created in them. These are followed by a visual chapter arranged by Gat’s various bodies of work with an extensive selection of his paintings. The book concludes with a collection of photographs, documents, and other archive materials that add to the monographic examination and the retrospective perspective on the artist’s life and work.
- Design: Tali Liberman
- Editing: Ron Bartos
- Texts: Ron Bartos
- Translation: Maya Shimony
- Language editing: Gal Kusturica
- Copies: 600
- Pages: 300
- Type of binding: Hardcover
- Languages: Hebrew, English
- Dimensions (cm): 27.5x21
- Reproductions: Liat Elbling. Aliza Orbach, Ran Erde, Avraham Hay, Roy Perry, Yoram Rubin
- Printing: A.R printing
- Binding: A.R printing
- Type of printing: Offset
- Publication: Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, Beer Sheva; Brosh, Tel Aviv
- Place of publication: Israel
- ISBN: 9789659189182
Eliyahu Gat (1919–1987) was a painter and influential art educator in Israeli art. Born in Dokshytsy (then White Russia), he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1937 and lived and worked in Israel until his death. His paintings are characterized by an intense, expressive use of color and a vigorous painterly gesture, alongside sensitive and restrained drawing, rooted in a deep attachment to the landscapes of the country. Gat did not seek canonization, nor did he follow prevailing artistic fashions. Instead, he worked from a firmly held personal and cultural position, which at times placed him outside dominant artistic trends but also made him a key figure in shaping a heterogeneous, expansive, and critical art scene. He was a founding member and informal leader of the Group of Ten, participated in the Tatzpit exhibitions, founded and led the Aklim Group, and initiated numerous artistic and educational projects throughout Israel.
Following his service in the British Army and later in the Israel Defense Forces, Gat studied at the Avni Studio, with Yehezkel Streichman and Avigdor Stematsky, and later at the École des Beaux‑Arts in Paris. Between 1964 and 1978, he directed the Bat Yam Institute of Art and taught at the Midrasha Teachers’ College for Art, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and other institutions. From 1980 to 1981, he served as chairman of the Association of Painters and Sculptors in Israel.
In 1984, a comprehensive retrospective exhibition of his work was held at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (curated by Yigal Tsalmon). Gat was awarded the Dizengoff Prize for Painting, and his works are held in major public collections, including the painting “The Siloam Tunnel,” installed at the entrance to the judges’ hall of the Supreme Court of Israel in Jerusalem. In his final years, Gat lived in Safed, where he died in 1987."
Ron Bartos is an art historian and independent curator, specializing in Israeli art. He holds bachelor and master’s degrees in art history from Tel Aviv University, and graduated from Tel Aviv’s Alma College’s fellowship program. Bartos has published numerous books and catalogues about Israeli art history and Israeli artists and has curated solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums.
