About the artist:

Moshe Elazar Castel born in Jerusalem in 1909, to his father Rabbi Yehuda Castel and his mother Rachel. Descendant of a Spanish family which came from Castiie to establish themselves in Israel in 1492. The family lived for many generations in Hebron. His father Rabbi Yehuda Castel who was born in Hebron was a scholar and outstanding Herbalist, wrote parchment and Torah scrolls. He arrived in Paris in 1927 with the help of his brother Yosef. Attended the Academie Julien and studied at the Louvre Museum. After 13 years of work in Paris, he returned to Israel in 1940, settled in Safed a medieval town of Zohar and Kaballa. Castel was born in 1909 in Jerusalem and died in 1992. He lived in Paris from 1927 until 1940. There he used the backdrop of the street scenes for his subject matter and exhibited his paintings in the salons of Paris. On his return to Israel he became famous for his work using basalt found in the black rock, which is indigenous to several areas of Israel. Many of his paintings are characterized by his creation of what appears to be an ancient form of writing. These symbols are painted in relief utilizing the black rock material. His portraits and street scenes often possess a Spanish influence, probably based on his Castilian Sephardic heritage. The strong reds, greens and blacks are indicative of this phase of his paintings. From 1959 the artist spent his time between Paris, New York and Israel. He is also famous for his large murals, which can be found in many important edifices around the world. He is awarded in 1946 the Dizengoff Prize on behalf of the Tel-Aviv Municipality. In 1947, he initiates and founds, together with other painters and sculptors the group "New Horizons" ("Offakim Hadashim").In 1959, he came to Paris, acquired a studio in Montparnasse where he spends a few months every year. He awarded prize "Premier do Estado" at the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil. 1928/40 Participates in individual and group exhibitions in well known galleries and "salons" in Paris. 1955 Exhibition on the entire top floor of the Tel Aviv Museum. This was the first exhibition of abstract art in Israel Mural painting (9 x 4 m) for Hotel Accadia. Israel Mural painting for "El Al" offices at Rockefeller Center, New York. 1958 Mural glass painting "Face to the Future" (18x3.5 m) at the National Convention Center. Jerusalem. 1966 Executed a large basalt mural painting "Glory to Jerusalem" (7 x 3 m) for the Knesset (Israel Parliament) in Jerusalem. 1970/71 Executes two large basalt mural-paintings for the ceremonial hall of the Presidential Mansion in Jerusalem. "Wall of Glory to Jerusalem" and Golden Scroll". 1984 "Portrait of an artists" Moshe Castel - Israel Film Service producer. 1984/85 Years of Creativity: 1924-1984 - Jubilee Exhibition at the Knesset the House of Parliament, in Jerusalem. 1989 Opening Exhibition of Beer-Sheva Museum of Israeli Art. 1987 Yurek Gallery, Ramat Hasharon Dania Art Gallery, Haifa Works in public collections The Museum of Modern Art, New York The Tate Gallery, London Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Jewish Museum, New York The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston-Texas Phoenix Art Museum, Arizona Art Museum Berkeley University, California Brandeis University, Boston Smith College Museum, Northampton, Mass Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Wadsworth Athenaeum, Art Museum, Conn The High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia Baltimore Museum of Art John Hopkins University, Baltimore American Public Insurance Company, Des Moines The Knesset House of Parliament, Jerusalem The Brooklyn Museum of Art Fairleigh Dickinson Fine Arts Museum, NJ U.S. Steel, Pittsburg Rehovot House of Sir Isaac and Lady Edith Wolfson at the Weizman Institute Temple B'nai Shalom, Rockville Center, New York Temple Emanu-El, Providence, Rhode Island San Francisco Museum of Art The Dropsie College, Philadelphia Albright Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York Temple Beth-El of Great Neck, New York Museum of the Vatican, Rome The presidential Mansion, Jerusalem.