Batia Lishansky, also Batya, Batyah; Lichanski, Lishanski, (1900–1992) was a

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

-born pioneering Israeli sculptor. Working with stone, wood and bronze, she created portraits and memorials commemorating the people and events of the early years of the

State of Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. Her many busts portray cultural and political figures as well as members of her family while her monumental memorials are dedicated to those who were killed in the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

. Many of her works can be seen in the permanent exhibition at the Shomer Museum in

Kfar Giladi Kfar Giladi ( he, כְּפַר גִּלְעָדִי, ''lit.'' Giladi Village, ar, كفار جلعادي) is a kibbutz in the Galilee Panhandle of northern Israel. Located south of Metula on the Naftali Mountains above the Hula Valley and alo ...

Biography

Born in

Malyn Malyn ( uk, Ма́лин, Mályn) (sometimes spelled Malin) is a city in Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of Ukraine located about northwest of Kyiv. It served as the administrative center of Malyn Raion, now located in Korosten Raion. Population: ...

, Russian Empire, in 1900, Batia Lishansky was the youngest of the four daughters of Shoshanna (1865–1944) and Meir Yonah Lishansky (1862–1942). After

immigrating Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

with her mother in 1910, she studied for a year at the Bezalel Institute under

Boris Schatz Boris Schatz ( he, בוריס שץ; 23 December 1866 – 23 March 1932) was a Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who settled in Israel. Schatz, who became known as the "father of Israeli art," founded the Bezalel School in Jerusalem. After S ...

. She then spent a period at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts but returned to Palestine in 1921, settling at the

Ein Harod Ein Harod ( he, עֵין חֲרוֹד) was a kibbutz in northern Israel near Mount Gilboa. Founded in 1921, it became the center of Mandatory Palestine's kibbutz movement, hosting the headquarters of the largest kibbutz organisation, HaKibbutz H ...

kibbutz and exhibiting her early wood sculptures. In 1923, she went to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

where she studied for three years before spending a further three years at the Academy of Painting and Sculpture in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. She returned to Palestine in 1929. Batia Lishansky died in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

in 1992.

Art career

In a style ranging from expressiveness to realism, her early works were influenced by

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

and

Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

. Among the hundreds of busts she created of historic Israeli figures are those of prime ministers

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; he, דָּוִד בֶּן-גּוּרִיּוֹן ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary national founder of the State of Israel and the first prime minister of Israel. Adopting the name ...

Menahem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'' (); pl, Menachem Begin (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ''Menakhem Volfovich Begin''; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of Israel. B ...

and

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and ''kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1 ...

. However, she is known above all for her memorials, including ''Commemorating the Fallen'' for those who died in the War of Independence (1947–1949). Depicting heroism and comradeship, the series of three can be found at

Kfar Yehoshua Kfar Yehoshua ( he, כְּפַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, ''lit.'' Joshua's Village) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located between Haifa and Nazareth, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of ...

Beit Keshet Beit Keshet ( he, בֵּית קֶשֶׁת, ''lit.'' House of the Bow) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the east of Nazareth, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lower Galilee Regional Council. As of its population was . It is located ...

and Kadoorie Agricultural Village. Her memorial "From Holocaust to Revival" is located at

Netzer Sereni Netzer Sereni ( he, נֵצֶר סֶרֶנִי) is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah between Be'er Ya'akov and Ness Ziona, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Kibbu ...

Awards and recognition

Lishansky received the

Dizengoff Prize The Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture is awarded annually by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb ...

for her contributions to sculpture on two occasions: in 1944 and 1957. In 1986, she was honoured with the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

for Lifework in Sculpture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lishansky, Batia 1900 births 1992 deaths People from Malyn 20th-century Israeli sculptors 20th-century Israeli women artists Israeli women sculptors Israel Prize in sculpture recipients Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire