Auction 27 Special sale of the painter Yigal Lichtenstein 1953 - 2024
By Yotzrim - Israeli Art Gallery
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Iigal Lichtenstein, born in 1953 in Tel Aviv, did not conform to the norm. His works are small in scale, highly colorful, and created in a style that combines surrealism with cubism. Lichtenstein's world appears as a flat desert, where the horizon stretches in the distance beneath magical skies. In this world, laid out like a chessboard, fascinating encounters take place between imaginary representations of men and women, clowns, and various other animals. His fantasy world is reminiscent of the psychedelic animation of the late 1960s in the United States—a time of rebellion against bourgeoisie values, capitalism, and the hippie worldview—and not by coincidence.
Lichtenstein never lived a "settled" life in the bourgeois sense of the word. After completing his military service, he studied philosophy and art history for two years at the Hebrew University. During that time, he connected with a group of young people living in caves near Mevo-Beitar and chose to live among them. Lichtenstein opted for a cave life alongside his dogs, wandering the land on foot, sometimes hungry, sometimes suffering from the cold, yet content with his immersion in nature. Towards the end of his wandering period, he arrived at the shores of Sidny- Ali and was invited to stay by Nissim Kahlon, the "Cave Man." Lichtenstein lived for about two years in a tiny limestone cave before eventually settling in Herzliya, where he lived and worked.
His works were exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions in Ramat Gan and Herzliya, receiving widespread recognition.
Iigal Lichtenstein passed away in September 2024 and was buried in the new cemetery in Herzliya. His family placed one of his paintings on his gravestone.
Attached is a video about Iigal's life, published in "Herzliya Diary" 2018.
