Nachum Gutman (as he himself signed;
Biography
Nachum Gutman was born in Teleneşti, Bessarabia Governorate, then a part of the
Imperial Russia (now in the
Moldova). He was the fourth child of Simcha Alter and Rivka Gutman. His father was a Hebrew writer and educator who wrote under the pen name . In 1903, the family moved to
Odessa, and two years later, to Ottoman Palestine. In 1908, Gutman attended the Herzliya Gymnasium in what would later become
Tel Aviv. In 1912, he studied at the Bezalel School in
Jerusalem. In 1920–26, he studied art in
Vienna, Berlin and Paris.
Gutman was married to Dora, with whom he had a son. After Gutman's death in 1980, Dora asked two Tel Aviv gallery owners, Meir Stern of Stern Gallery and Miriam Tawin of Shulamit Gallery, to appraise the value all of the works left in his estate.
Artistic career
Gutman helped pioneer a distinctively Israeli style, moving away from the European influences of his teachers. He worked in many different media:
Oil painting, watercolours,
gouache and pen and ink.
His sculptures and brightly colored mosaics can be seen in public places around Tel Aviv. Indoor murals depicting the history of Tel Aviv can be seen in the western wing of the Shalom Tower and the Chief Rabbinate building.
A mosaic fountain with scenes from the early days of Tel Aviv and biblical stories connected to Jaffa (inscribed with 3 Bible verses: Jeremiah 31:4, 2 Chronicles 2:16, Jonah 1:3), stood for 32 years at the end of Bialik Street, opposite the old Tel Aviv municipality building.
Gutman's artistic style was eclectic, ranging from figurative to abstract. Gutman was also a well-known writer and illustrator of children's books.
Awards and recognition
Gutman received many art and literary prizes:
-
1938: Dizengoff Prize for painting (also in 1956)
-
1946: Lamdan Prize for children's literature
-
1955: Sicily Award for watercolor painting at the São Paulo Biennale
-
1956: Dizengoff Prize for painting (also in 1938)
[
]
-
1962: Hans Christian Andersen Literary Prize on behalf of Unesco for his book "Path of Orange Peels"
-
1964: Yatziv Prize
-
1969: Fichman Prize for Literature and Art
-
1974: Honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Tel Aviv University
-
1976: Honorary Citizen of Tel Aviv
-
1978: Israel Prize, for children's literature
The Nachum Gutman Museum, showcasing the artist's work, was established in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of Tel Aviv.
Outdoor and public art
-
1961 A mosaic wall at the Chief Rabbinate building, Tel Aviv
-
1966 A mosaic wall in memory of the Herzliya high school at Migdal Shalom (Shalom Tower), Tel Aviv
-
1976 History of Jaffa and Tel Aviv, mosaic-decorated fountain, initially Bialik Square, now southern end of Rothschild Boulevard Tel Aviv
Published works
-
Path of the Orange Peels: Adventures in the Early Days of Tel Aviv (English translation: Nelly Segal) Dodd, Mead & Company, 1979
-
"Seven Mills and Another Station" (Sheva T'khanot ve'od Takhana), Yavneh 1956
-
"In the Land of Lobengulu King of Zulu", Massadah 1940
See also
External links
