Shlomo Katz, Polish (1937 - 1992)

Born in Lodz, Poland, Shlomo Katz immigrated to Palestine when he was just 8 years old in 1945. Educated in Kibbutz Mishmar Ha`emek, his talent for drawing was apparent from the very beginning. As a young man he went to Paris where he studied art at the Ecole de Beaux Arts. While numerous exhibitions in the US and Canada in the early 70s introduced his work of different periods, Katz developed an original technique of oil painting on a gilded metal surface. The result recalls medieval icons on the one hand, and oriental miniatures on the other.

However, these ancient resources combine to form a totally modern image with a light humorous touch and a noble character. It took a lot of experimentation to translate these images to the graphic art form. The metallic inks of the golden tones and the importance of absolute registration presented just a part of the challenge, but the Katz serigraphs became the ultimate in modern printmaking. In 1985 Katz was commissioned by the Falcon Foundation to create 9 large paintings for permanent display at the chapel of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. These paintings are considered today a National Treasure and are the subject of a book of 120 pages. Shortly after returning from a 7 city exhibition tour in Japan, Shlomo Katz passed away in March of 1992.

The Artist's Works are in the following collections:

The Wolfson Museum of Judaica - Jerusalem, Israel
Biblical Museum (Beth Hatanach) - Tel Aviv, Israel
Wilfrid Israel Museum of Oriental Art - Kibbutz Hazorea, Israel
The Australian National Gallery - Canberra, Australia
Museum of Jewish Art - Paris, France
The Jewish Museum of Australia - Melbourne, Australia
The Jewish Museum of Hungary - Budapest, Hungary
Magnes Museum - Berkeley, California
US Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel - Colordao Springs, Colorado
Ben Uri Collection - London, England
Hillel House - London, England
Hillel Academy - Portland, Oregon
City of Ottawa - Ottawa, Ontario Canada
Hebrew Union College - Cincinnati, Ohio
Washington Hebrew Congregation - Washington, DC
Temple Beth El - San Pedro, California
Peninsula Temple Beth El - San Mateo, California
University Synagogue - Los Angeles, California
Temple Emanu-El - San Francisco, California
Wilshire Boulevard Temple - Los Angeles, California
Temple Emanuel - Newton Centre, Massachusetts
Temple Hillel B'nai Torah - West Roxbury, Massachusetts
Temple Mt. Zion - St. Paul, Minnesota
The Sephardic Temple - Cedarhurst, New York
Beth El Hebrew Congregation - Alexandria, Virginia
St. Phillip Catholic Community - Lewisville, Texas