Calman Shemi

Calman Shemi, a noted Israeli sculptor and painter, was born in Argentina in 1939.  A graduate of the school of Sculpture and Ceramics in Mendoza, Calman Shemi was a student of the Italian-Argentinean sculptor Libero Badii, and later of the German-Israeli sculptor Rudi Lehman. In 1961, at the age of 20, Calman Shemi made aliyah to Israel, living on a kibbutz, and worked as a sculptor working with wood and clay. Several of his large scale projects are situated in various public buildings all over the world. Though sculpture dominated his early years as an artist, Calman Shemi developed the idea of the "soft painting" medium in 1977  and continues to challenge himself by working in new mediums.  He has developed two unique techniques of paintings: his "lacquer paintings" and "window paintings". He creates his Lacquer Paintings by applying vibrant colors to wood or metal panel that has been gilded with gold or silver leaf, and sometimes both. After the paint has thoroughly dried, many layers of lacquer are applied to the surface giving it a glowing effect. Between each layer of lacquer the piece is hand-polished to give the surface its very shiny look. He is equally famous for his laser-cut works. During the last two decades, Shemi has held more then seventy solo shows in the United States, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Japan and Israel. His work can be seen in many public places and private collections around the world. Shemi states, “All of the art that I create is full of optimism and beauty. That’s all. Simple, very simple.”