Leon Bronstein (born July 20, 1951) is an Israeli sculptor.
Life
Bronstein was born July 20, 1951 in Tiraspol, Moldova. He graduated from the
Tiraspol
Tiraspol or Tirișpolea ( ro, Tiraspol, Moldovan Cyrillic: Тираспол, ; russian: Тира́споль, ; uk, Тирасполь, Tyraspol') is the capital of Transnistria (''de facto''), a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the th ...
Technicum (College) after completing his studies in the field of Engineering. During his last years in USSR, he worked as a watchmaker. In 1979, Bronstein “made aliyah” (immigration) with his family to
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 ...
, first residing in
Or Akiva
Or Akiva ( he, אוֹר עֲקִיבָא) (''light of Akiva''–in memory of Rabbi Akiva who was tortured and killed at this locale) is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, on the country's Israeli coastal plain, coastal plain. It is lo ...
where he studied Hebrew in the Ulpan. Currently, he lives and works in the artist’s village of
Ein Hod
Ein Hod ( he, עֵין הוֹד) is a village in Haifa District in northern Israel. Located at the foot of Mount Carmel and southeast of Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaCarmel Regional Council and has the status of community set ...
. He is married to Berta (Betty) and they have 3 children.
Career
Bronstein specializes in the semi-abstract style of art, using
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
as his preferred medium.
Initially, he started his sculpting career using wood as a medium. He worked with olive wood for several years. He began working in the sculpting department of “Touch Wood," a former factory manufacturing hand-made sculptures and memorabilia for tourists. After the factory closed he began his independent career as a sculptor. Bronstein’s first art exhibit took place in 1985 in New York’s Art Expo. He presented his work there, among other artists such as Alex Katz. After his first exhibition, he received an offer to be part of the permanent exhibition at the Emil Leonard Gallery in Soho, New York, USA.
In 1985, Bronstein began to use bronze exclusively, with his first sculptures being presented in the E.S. Lawrence Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, and Los Angeles, US. In 1992, Bronstein was invited by the Minister of Culture of the USSR to exhibit his work in the International Russian Culture Foundation in Moscow, Soviet Union.
In 2001, his sculpture “To the Sky” was installed in the entrance to Terminal 1 at
Ben-Gurion International Airport
Ben Gurion International Airport, ; ar, مطار بن غوريون الدولي , commonly known by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on the northern outskirts of the city of Lod, it is the ...
in Israel. An additional sculpture cast of “To the Sky” is located in the headquarters of Larson-Juhl Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In 2002, he exhibited at the
Triton Museum of Art
The Triton Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located at 1505 Warburton Avenue in Santa Clara, California.
History
The museum was founded in 1965 in San Jose, California, by rancher, lawyer and art patron W. Robert Morgan and his wife J ...
in
Santa Clara, California, USA. In 2004, the sculpture “Caring Hands” was installed in the Saint Louis Public Health Centre. In 2012, he participated in “Muse”, an outdoor sculptures exhibit, in Mamilla Avenue, Jerusalem.
In 2016, his sculpture “Exercises” was installed in the entrance to Ein Hod, an artist’s village in Israel. A twin statue of “Exercises” is located at Northland College, Wisconsin. In 2018, the sculpture “Starry Starry Night” was installed in the
Denver Botanic Gardens
The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the su ...
, Colorado, USA.
In 2020, an exhibition of Bronstein’s work took place at SLUMA,
Saint Louis University Museum of Art
The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is the formal art museum for Saint Louis University. It is located at 3663 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri and is also known as Doris O'Donnell Hall.
Architecture
Designed in the Beaux-Arts arc ...
, Missouri, USA. His sculpture “Sharing the Same Thoughts” was installed at the entrance to the museum. This exhibition is currently presented at the Caitlyn Gallery in Saint Louis, MO, USA.
References
The Winter Family Collection, Leon Bronstein, Between the Real and the Fantastic, St Louis University MUSEUM of ARTMiriam Or Dr. Art Historian and Art Critic, LEON BRONSTEIN - The Magic World Of SculpturePonzio Campus Center Northland College Ashland, WI.US* Official Leon Brostein's Website https://www.leonbronstein.com/
External links
Artist's page at Lahaina GalleriesArtist's page at Saatchi Art Artist's page at Art Sy*The Caitlyn Gallery https://www.caitlyngallery.com/
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Israeli people of Moldovan-Jewish descent
Israeli sculptors
1951 births
Living people