Artist: Naftali Bezem (1924–2018)
Title: Tent and Flower in a Desert Landscape (Tente et fleur dans un paysage désertique)
Technique: Color lithograph, hand-signed and numbered
Printer: Mourlot Studio, Paris
Edition: Artist's Proof (A 147/150)
Dimensions: 50x70 cm
About the Artwork:
This original color lithograph by the master Israeli modern artist Naftali Bezem was printed in Paris at the world-renowned Mourlot studio. The artwork features a highly symbolic and poetic surrealist composition. In the center, a traditional tent opens to reveal the stylized face of a woman looking out. In the foreground, a prominent pink thistle-like flower grows from a rocky, desert soil, while rolling desert hills and minimalist white houses stand in the background. Executed in smooth gradient tones of sandy ochre, deep blues, and muted greens, this piece beautifully incorporates Bezem's iconic visual motifs of immigration, roots, and the Israeli landscape. The print is hand-signed in pencil along the bottom right and numbered as an artist's proof (A 147/150).
About the Artist:
Naftali Bezem (1924–2018): A highly influential German-born Israeli painter, sculptor, and muralist. He immigrated to Israel in 1939 just before World War II.
Education: Studied fine arts at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, later teaching there, and completed further training in Paris.
Visual Iconography: Developed a distinct national symbolic language centered on the Jewish-Israeli narrative. His recurring motifs include boats, ladders, fish, Shabbat candlesticks, and tents, representing immigration and collective memory.
Major Public Works: Commissioned to create monumental public art, including the relief ceiling at Yad Vashem's entrance, murals for El Al, and major tapestries for the Knesset.
Awards: Winner of the prestigious Dizengoff Prize for Painting in 1957.