Jacob Wexler (1912-1995) – Haifa – Oil Pastel on Paper

Jacob Wexler (1912-1995) – Haifa – Oil Pastel on Paper

Jacob Wexler (1912-1995), Haifa, 1983.
Oil pastel on paper. Signed and dated.
Approx. 33X48 cm. Good condition. Matted and framed; not examined outside frame.
Jacob Wexler (1912-1995), native of Liepāja, Latvia. Studied from 1929 to 1933 at the School of Applied Arts in Hamburg, Germany, and subsequently immigrated to Palestine and became a member of Kibbutz Ein HaHoresh. Moved to Haifa a few years later. Then, in 1950, moved to Tel Aviv, where he was active for decades. Wexler was among the leading artists of the "Ofakim Hadashim" ("New Horizons") Group, and his works were displayed at most of the exhibitions featuring this group. From 1965 to 1982, taught at and headed the Avni Institute, where he mentored generations of abstract artists. Wexler began his career as an Expressionist in the German style. In the 1950s, the influence of Cubism was discernible in his work. Over the years, his art began trending toward the abstract, and for a while he even experimented with Op art. His "Haifa Paintings" series hails back to his Expressionist phase, but it does reveal hints of the abstract style which would later prevail in his output.
Provenance: The Rami Cohen Collection.

Art collector Rami Cohen (1941-2018), native of Poland, immigrated to Israel with his family in 1948. Educated in Moshav Nahalal, he began painting already in his youth. Served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces' standing army, and was decorated for the act of evacuating wounded soldiers under fire. Cohen was injured his right hand in the course of his army service, the injury leaving him disabled and unable to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Nevertheless, he never lost his love for art, and the adversity he experienced simply led him to change direction from artist to art collector, and to devote much of his strength and wealth toward assembling his collection, leading him to become a passionately involved participant and a dominant influence in a number of different artistic circles. He organized and curated various art exhibitions, including, for example, "Nation Builds Land: Israeli History as Mirrored through Art" (1988) at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art. His collection includes portraits by Yehezkel Streichman and Menashe Kadishman who personally presented them to him as gifts, as a token of their friendship. He similarly established close friendships with many other artists. Ensuring that Israeli art command the respect it deserved was high among his lifelong list of priorities, as was the challenge of enabling artists to thrive and prosper; to that end, he lent his personal assistance to artists seeking to advance their professional careers. He took a special interest in artists such as Michail Grobman, Shmuel Ackerman, and others arriving in Israel from the former Soviet Union, and helped bring them into the public spotlight. Initiated and edited the online database entitled "Omanut Israel" (or "Art 23,") which included articles and media reviews in addition to a great deal of professional material relating to the Israeli art scene, being utilized by professional and government bodies. His collection is multi-faceted and richly diverse, consisting of artworks by both Israeli and non-Israeli artists, representing a broad spectrum of artistic styles, schools, and trends – a collection that reflects significant and fascinating developments in the field of Israeli art over a period of several decades, all from the point of view of a true lover of art.