Siona Shimshi (also "Ziona"; he, ציונה שמשי; July 14, 1939 – October 16, 2018) was an Israeli painter,

sculptress Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable s ...

ceramist Ceramic art is art made from ceramic materials, including clay. It may take forms including artistic pottery, including tableware, tiles, figurines and other sculpture. As one of the plastic arts, ceramic art is one of the visual arts. Whil ...

, and

textile designer Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

Early life

Shimshi was born 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 ...

, to Haya Rivka (Kuklanski) and Avraham Shimshi, who had immigrated to

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

from

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

in 1933. She married Jachin Hirsch, an Israeli filmmaker, in 1961. She studied at the

Avni Institute Avni Institute of Art and Design is an Israeli art school located in Tel Aviv. History The Studia school (later Avni Institute) was established in 1936 by a group of Jewish artists. Among the founders was Aharon Avni, who became the school's fir ...

in Tel Aviv from 1956 to 1959, with

Avigdor Stematsky Avigdor Stematsky (1908–1989) was a Russian Empire-born Israeli painter. He is considered one of the pioneers of Israeli abstract art. Biography Stematsky was born in 1908 in Odessa. He joined the Massad group in Tel Aviv. In 1929, he went to P ...

Yehezkel Streichman Yehezkel Streichman ( he, יחזקאל שטרייכמן, 1906 – January 12, 1993) was an Israeli painter. He is considered a pioneer of Israeli modernist painting. Among the awards that he won were the Dizengoff Prize and the Israel Prize. Bi ...

, and Moshe Mokady. She also studied

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred (village), New York, Alfred, New York. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The ...

in New York, from 1959 to 1962, as well as at

Greenwich House Pottery Greenwich House Pottery is a non-profit pottery studio located in the West Village of New York City. History Greenwich House Pottery was founded in New York's Greenwich Village in 1909 as a part of the settlement house Greenwich House. Greenwi ...

in New York City.

Art career

In 1965, she was a co-founder of a group of artists called the "10+ Group", along with artists

Buky Schwartz Buky Schwartz (pronounced BOO-kie) ( he, בוקי שוורץ; June 16, 1932 – September 1, 2009, Tel Aviv) was an Israeli sculptor and video artist. Biography Moshe (Buky) Schwartz was born in Jerusalem. From 1956 to 1958, he studied sculpture ...

Raffi Lavie Raffi Lavie art education, educator and music/art criticism, critic. Lavie's work is a cross between graffiti and abstract expressionism. Biography Rafael (Raffi) Lavi was born in Tel Aviv, Mandatory Palestine, Mandate Palestine. He began teachin ...

, and others. Shimshi was head of the Ceramic Design Department and taught as a professor at the

Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design ( he, בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, from 1979 to 1987. In 1979, she designed the set for a performance of '' A Simple Story'' by

Shmuel Yosef Agnon Shmuel Yosef Agnon ( he, שמואל יוסף עגנון; July 17, 1888 – February 17, 1970) was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the acronym Shai Agnon (). In English, his works are published und ...

for the Habimah Theater in Tel Aviv. In 1993–94, she was the curator of an exhibition of

Dora Gad Dora Gad (Hebrew דורה גד; b. 1912, d. 31 December 2003) was an Israeli interior designer, whose work had significant influence on the development of modern Israeli architecture. Biography Dora Siegel (later Gad) was born in Câmpulung, Rom ...

, in the

Tel Aviv Museum of Art Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון תל אביב לאמנות ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and aroun ...

. Among her creations are a work in wood that is exhibited in the

King David Hotel The King David Hotel ( he, מלון המלך דוד, Malon ha-Melekh David; ar, فندق الملك داود) is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. Opened in 1931, the hotel was built with locally qua ...

in Jerusalem, a wall hanging at the Tel Aviv Hilton, a 1998 sculpture for Israel's 50th anniversary that is exhibited in

Holon Holon ( he, חוֹלוֹן ) is a city on the central coastal strip of Israel, south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the metropolitan Gush Dan area. In it had a population of . Holon has the second-largest industrial zone in Israel, after Haifa. ...

, glass walls at Kennedy Airport in New York City, and a 2004 portrait painting of

Natan Alterman Nathan Alterman ( he, נתן אלתרמן, August 14, 1910 – March 28, 1970) was an Israeli poet, playwright, journalist, and translator. Though never holding any elected office, Alterman was highly influential in Socialist Zionist politics, ...

that appears on the facade of

Tel Aviv City Hall Tel Aviv City Hall ( he, בית עיריית תל אביב ''Beit Iriyat Tel Aviv'') is the municipal government center of Tel Aviv, Israel. It houses the mayor's office, the meeting chambers and offices of the Tel Aviv City Council. History ...

Awards

Shimshi was awarded the 1988 Arie El Hanani Prize by the Joshua Rabinowitz Foundation for Arts, for her sculpture in Goren Goldstein Park in Tel Aviv.

Death

Shimshi died in Tel Aviv on October 16, 2018, at the age of 79. She was buried at

Yarkon Cemetery Yarkon Cemetery ( he, בית העלמין ירקון) is the main cemetery for the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area of Israel. It is located within the Petah Tikva city limits, between the Yarkon River in the West, Highway 5 in the North, and the 491 r ...

References

External links