David Gerstein's whimsical, 3-dimensional
hand painted sculptures catch the eye and engage the heart, humorously
delighting the child in all of us. His shiny, sensual colors celebrate
life and the forces of good in the world.
Gerstein was born in
Jerusalem in 1944. He studied at the Bezalel Academy, Jerusalem; Beaux
Arts, Paris; Art Students League, New York and St. Martin\'s, London.
His
work is part of the permanent indoor and outdoor collections of the
Israel Museum, Haifa Museum, Tefen Open Museum, The Science Museum in
Jerusalem, Herzeliya Museum and Hebrew University.
Gerstein has
also installed large public works of art in Jerusalem, Ramat Hasharon,
Lod and Ancient Avdat. In spring 1999, Gerstein was selected to exhibit
in Washington, DC at the National Jewish Museum\'s exhibition \"Israel
at 50.\"
As a child, David Gerstein had no toys. \"My
parents were not aware enough to provide me with toys,\" he says, and
admits that together with his twin brother, he had to devise them from
anything that came to hand . . . to invent a world for himself. He
would cut people and cars out of cardboard and paint windows, wheels
and doors onto them. He never gave up his warm relationship and deep
involvement with the images he creates.
"For me art is
something simple and basic, like bread and water and air. I also think
of my works as fruit that the tree has sprouted. I don\'t have to
invent anything or rack my brain on how to process a grandiose idea:
things simply grow by themselves. They flow when I am driving, talking,
and in the morning before I get out of bed. The shapes and colors in my
work are an enticement to communicate. Whoever is tempted to eat from
the fruit will discover that it also contains vitamins."