Frederick Hermann Kisch; Oil on Canvas, 86×113 cm

Ze’ev Tishbi

Was born in 1915 in Bialystok, Poland. In 1925 he immigrated to Palestine with his family. At first, they settled in Haifa and later moved to Jerusalem. Tishbi studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and continued his studies in France, Italy and Belgium. In Italy, he shortly worked alongside Henri Matisse; together the designed sets for the opera “La Scala” in Milan.

During the Second World War he volunteered in the British army and participated in various battles in Italy. During his service he eventually joined the army choir. In 1946 he returned to Palestine and began to teach painting in Petah Tikva. His encounter with the holocaust left a deep impression on him, and subsequently influenced his works.

In 1953 he died on account of drowning in the Herzliya beach.