Ilya Kushnirskiy, co-founder of Fine Art Shippers, has donated two graphic works by Moshe Castel to the Moshe Castel Art Museum in Ma’ale Adumim, Israel.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The NYC-based art logistics company Fine Art Shippers has announced that its co-founder, Ilya Kushnirskiy, has donated two graphic works by the renowned Israeli artist Moshe Castel to the Moshe Castel Art Museum in Ma’ale Adumim, Israel. Ilya Kushnirskiy personally presented the pieces carrying the artist’s signatures to the Museum’s team.

The first of these works, titled “Yad Absalom,” depicts the tomb of Avshalom (Absalom), son of David, in Jerusalem. Castel produced 30 copies of this work, but the Museum did not previously have one in its collection. The second piece portrays an ancient gate in the wall of Jerusalem’s Old City. It is not only signed but also personally dedicated by Moshe Castel to Kalman Gintsburg, an outstanding Israeli impresario who had an unparalleled influence on the country’s culture. He received this work as a gift from Moshe Castel during Israel’s Independence Day on the 18th of April 1972. As mentioned by Eli Raz, one of the founders of the Museum and its chief guide, during his conversation with Ilya Kushnirskiy, the Museum, established in 1992 and opened in 2010, has the largest collection of Castel’s masterpieces in the world: over 80 paintings and more than 60 graphic works, but these pieces were absent until recently and have now filled a gap in the institution’s collection.

Jerusalem native Moshe Castel is not only one of Israel’s most distinguished artists but also one of the most original creators of the 20th century. “Six of his lithographs were printed by Fernand Mourlot, the most famous European lithographer of his time, who also worked with Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso,” explained the Museum’s curator, Dr. Alek D. Epstein, meeting Ilya Kishnirskiy at the Museum. “He developed his own technique using basalt, a material that had never interested artists before. The discovery of the Qumran manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls) in caves in the Judean desert between 1947 and 1956 had a deep impact on him, and references to ancient Semitic languages can be found in all of his works.”

Castel is the only Israeli artist whose works are permanently displayed in the Knesset and the President’s Residence. Every time a new Israeli government is inaugurated, the official group photograph of the President, Prime Minister, and government members is taken with one of Castel’s works as the backdrop. This tradition began with Menachem Begin’s government in 1977 and has continued for nearly half a century.

"For me, it’s a great pleasure to donate Moshe Castel’s works to his museum, said Ilya Kushnirskiy while speaking with Dr. Epstein. “From the first day I arrived in Israel five years ago, you became my gateway to Israeli and Jewish art. From showing me the historical and cultural landmarks of Jerusalem to educating me on the life work of prominent Jewish collectors like Jacob and Kenda Bar-Gera, you have been an invaluable friend.”

“Thanks to your generosity, these two remarkable works are now in the Moshe Castel Art Museum’s collection, allowing us to show our visitors a bigger picture of the life and legacy of one of Israel’s most important artists,” said Dr. Epstein. “We are always happy to welcome you to our Museum.”

Ilya Kushnirskiy
Fine Art Shippers
+1 917-658-5075
fineartshippers@gmail.com
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