- August 20, 2024
- 10:30 pm
- Israel
The exhibition, which opened on August 15, 2024 at the Moshe Castel Museum of Art in Maale Adumim, highlights not only Isaac Alexander Frenkel's (Frenel's) achievements as an artist, but also his deep connection with his hometown of Odessa.
Isaac Alexander Frenkel-Frenel was born in Odessa to a large family. He was the great-grandson of the famous Tzaddik Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev. He studied at the Odessa Art School under Alexandra Exter in 1917. In 1919, he moved to Eretz Israel, where in 1920 he founded an art cooperative in Jaffa and an artists' studio in Herzliya. He later went to Paris, where he studied at the School of Fine Arts and the Académie de Chamières under such masters as the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle and the painter Henri Matisse. In 1924, his works were presented at an exhibition at the Salon des Indépendants in Paris.
Returning to Eretz Israel in 1925, Frenkel opened a fine arts studio at the Histadrut School in Tel Aviv, where his students included artists such as Shimshon Holtzman, Mordechai Levanon, and Ziona Tayar. In the following years, he also taught many graduates of the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design.
In 1934, Frenkel settled in Safed, long before the city became famous for its artists' quarter. During his career, he received many awards, including the Dizengoff Prize, and participated in the first and second Venice Biennales.
In 1973, a museum dedicated to his work was opened in his house in Safed. Frenkel's paintings are kept in the collections of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and other famous museums.
Frenkel was one of the first representatives of modern art in Eretz Israel. His life story is an example of the realization of the Zionist dream. As noted, his life in Eretz Israel was inextricably linked with creativity and the cultural development of the country.
Although he experimented with Cubism in his youth, Frenkel remained faithful to Expressionism throughout his life, which especially brought him closer to fellow adherents of this style, such as Manet-Katz. In his interviews, he said: “Even being in the West, my soul remains in the East,” adding that the Israeli public understands his work better.
Frenkel was born in Odessa, where from an early age his artistic development was inspired by the cultural atmosphere of the city. In Odessa, he studied at the art school under the direction of A. A. Exter, which had a significant influence on his creative style. The move to Eretz Israel in 1919 did not sever his ties with Odessa; on the contrary, the experience gained in this city continued to play an important role in his life and art.
The exhibition features works by Frenkel that reflect the influence of Odessa on his work, including elements related to the city’s cultural heritage and artistic traditions. These works demonstrate how early Odessa influences continued to inspire him, even after he moved to Paris and then Israel.
On the exhibition website —
The Moshe Castel Museum of Art highlights the significance of Odessa as an important part of Frenkel’s artistic legacy. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to see how his early experiences and cultural heritage in Odessa shaped his style and work, and how his work continues to influence contemporary art.
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