RAPHAEL ABECASSIS

Press release

Raphael Abecassis is a world-renowned Sephardi-Israeli artist whose unique style combines Jewish symbols, Sephardic motifs and modern composition into beautifully calibrated celebrations of color. He believes that his audience craves beautiful art leading to light and God,  imbued with deep spiritual meaning and vibrant colorful imagery - seemingly dancing on the canvas.

Born in Marrakech, Morocco, in 1953, Abecassis immigrated to Israel with his parents when he was three years old. At the age of 21, he  realized the need to devote his life to art and to create in the name of spiritual beauty and love for God.

Abecassis claims his artistic mission is to paint today as the old Jewish masters painted hundreds of years ago. He concentrates on biblically inspired art with themes drawn from the Kabbalah - Jewish mysticism. This direction became clear to him when, according to Jewish custom, he was to present his future wife with a ketuba, a traditional marriage document. Abecassis thought his document was too plain so he decorated it in exquisite detail. The ketuba was a big success and today he creates personalized ketubas for brides and grooms.

To achieve these bright and dynamic effects, Raphael uses an unorthodox style of painting, which makes him connected to the process of creation and to the picture’s plot as if he was a main actor or the narrator in a play.

The name Abecassis comes from Arabic "abu" and "kassas", meaning “the elder narrator”. He draws inspiration from the process of creating works. Thousands of images simultaneously pass through his consciousness and give birth to an amazing world filled with faith, light and love.

In 1994, Abecassis desinged what is now an artistic landmark in Los Angeles, California - the Sephardic Heritage Windows, a stained glass masterpiece.. This 7 meters-high explosion of bright color adorns the main entrance to the Sephardic temple of Tiferet Israel.

Perhaps in every Jewish family there is a book illustrated by Raphael Abecassis – be that the Psalms of David, the Book of Psalms (Tehillim) or the Kiddush. At the same time, his paintings adorn the homes of chief Rabbis around the world.

The opening of the exhibition is timed to coincide with the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday, as a kind of opportunity for people to touch the art brought from the Holy Land.

The partners of the event are Casa Rica Expo.

Artists