Ilana Raviv

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ilana Raviv-Oppenheim, born November 29, 1945, in Tel Aviv, is an Israeli multidisciplinary artist. She works in painting, drawing, etching, tapestry, and ceramic sculpture. Raviv grew up in Israel and spent a decade in New York (1980–1990) to study and broaden her artistic vision. She studied at the Art Students League of New York from 1980 to 1984, learning from teachers including Roberto Delamonica, Bruce Dorfman, and Knox Martin.

Raviv has exhibited her art in museums and galleries across Israel, the United States, Europe, and the Far East. She has shown alongside well-known artists such as Knox Martin, Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, Rosenquist, Chuck Close, and Marisol. Her work often features the great mother figure from Greek mythology, along with biblical, historical, and literary characters. She uses flat designs, bold contrasts, and varied shapes to create different versions of reality, describing her art as a metaphor that shapes an artificial life on canvas.

In 2008, she was named Tel Aviv–Jaffa Woman of the Year for her contributions to the arts. Raviv’s art is included in private collections and multiple museums worldwide. A solo show of 50 works toured the State Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg (2007–2008), and another solo presentation of 100 works was shown at the Moscow Museum of Modern Art; she was the first native Israeli to exhibit at both venues.

Curators have praised her work for its energy and its references to major 20th-century artists like Matisse, Picasso, and Fauvist painters. One of her long-standing pieces is a Holocaust-themed painting in the permanent collection of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., depicting the Ten Commandments consumed by flame with an emphasis on “Thou shalt not murder.” Another major work, A Tabernacle of Peace – Homage to Zachariah, opened Israel’s 40th anniversary celebrations in New York and later spent eight years in the Jerusalem International Convention Center.

Raviv is married and the mother of three. She has also supported charitable causes, including a pro bono exhibit to benefit Seeds of Peace, an organization that works to bring Arab and Jewish youth together.