The trajectory of late twentieth-century abstract art is deeply intertwined with the development of new material languages.Kings Gallery is delighted to present a notable unique work from his mid-career period “Abstract on Gold”.
Table of Contents
Biography of the Artist
Born in Argentina in 1939, Calman Shemi’s early artistic development was shaped by the rigorous sculptural traditions of South American modernism. He studied under the acclaimed Italian-Argentine sculptor Libero Badii, from whom he absorbed a deep understanding of spatial architecture, weight, and three-dimensional form. In 1966, Shemi immigrated to Israel, settling in Kibbutz Carmia, where the transition to a new landscape sparked a profound evolution in his creative output.
Shifting his focus from traditional heavy stone and bronze sculpting to the challenges of two-dimensional surfaces, Shemi spent the following decades pioneering entirely new artistic techniques. Over his prolific career, he became internationally recognized for his massive architectural installations, public tapestries, and vibrant, multi-layered paintings that challenge the conventional boundaries between fine art, sculpture, and textile design.
Material Innovation
To understand Shemi’s approach to painting, one must look at his work through the lens of a sculptor. Throughout his career, Shemi rejected the idea that a painting should be a flat, passive plane. Instead, he pioneered proprietary mediums, including his famous “soft paintings” (created using layered, unspun wool fibers) and “lacquer paintings” (utilizing heavy synergetic resins over metallic backings).
By superimposing vibrant industrial pigments, lacquers, and mixed media onto unconventional supports, Shemi treats the pictorial surface as a tectonic space. His mastery lies in his ability to make color itself feel heavy, tactile, and explicitly three-dimensional, capturing a sense of joyous energy and structural permanence simultaneously.
Abstract on Gold
The composition is a vibrant, rhythmic arrangement of intersecting organic and geometric color blocks that float dynamically against a shimmering gold leaf background. Rather than absorbing light, the gold-toned cardboard support reflects it outwards through the translucent glazes and heavily layered oil paint. Deep ultramarines, fiery vermilions, and soft pastels are delineated by precise, energetic pencil and ink hatchings, adding a sophisticated graphic layer to the piece. The glazed finish acts as a protective, polished lens, locking the intense chromatic contrasts into a state of permanent brilliance.
About the Gallery and Acquisition
To request a comprehensive provenance portfolio, verify the artist’s lower-left signature, or coordinate a private viewing of this unique masterwork, please contact us.
Kings Gallery is a leading fine art gallery established in Jerusalem in 1995. We strive to collect and sell the highest quality historic and contemporary Israeli and International art. The gallery specializes in artists from the early period of the 1920’s. In addition, Kings Gallery features leading up-and-coming young artists who will definitely be prominent names in the next few years.
To inquire about this original piece by Yossi Stern, request a detailed condition report, please contact us.