At Kings Gallery Jerusalem, we are delighted to feature Babel Tower, a mesmerizing oil-on-paper composition by the celebrated Israeli artist David Sharir. Measuring 85 x 62 cm, this vibrant work exemplifies Sharir’s unique synthesis of biblical narrative, architectural precision, and the highly decorative impulses of modern fantasy.
Scenography and Decorations
Born in 1938 to Russian immigrants, Sharir trained in architecture and theater design in Florence and Rome, later designing acclaimed sets for institutions like Israel’s Habima Theater and the Boston Opera Company. This deep background in the performing arts is immediately evident in the scenographic quality of Babel Tower. The composition is structured like a magnificent stage set, centering on a curved, rising edifice that anchors the pictorial space.
Sharir masterfully blends flat, stylized geometry with exuberant organic forms. The tower itself, patterned with meticulous, bead-like stippling, serves as a rigid framework from which erupt massive, fantastical flora. These curvilinear, blooming elements—reminiscent of the organic, stylized motifs found in fin-de-siècle decorative arts and theatrical backdrops—are inhabited by whimsical, winged faces. Sharir’s palette is both sophisticated and ethereal, utilizing soft gradients of terracotta, dusky blues, and warm pinks to create a dreamlike, flattened spatiality that draws heavily from the traditions of “decorative art” and ornamentation.
The Tower of Babel
In traditional iconography, the Tower of Babel is a monument to human hubris and linguistic fracture, historically linked to stepped ziggurats. However, true to his signature style, Sharir reimagines this biblical motif not as a site of destruction, but as a celebratory hive of human and divine interaction, infusing his biblical subjects with a signature touch of joy and imagination. The arched windows reveal a harmonious cross-section of stylized figures: men, women, and couples occupying the structure alongside angels and hybrid creatures.
The monumental flowers bursting from the tower’s tiers suggest that the structure is alive—a thriving, organic entity rather than a sterile monument. The winged faces nestled within the petals blur the boundaries between the celestial and the botanical, suggesting a world where spirituality is deeply rooted in communal existence and the flourishing of life.
Acquisition
For the discerning collector or curator, Babel Tower represents a critical intersection of Israeli modernism, biblical folklore, and theatrical design. David Sharir’s highly recognizable aesthetic—shaped by a lifelong engagement with both the canvas and the stage—offers a profoundly joyous and intricate vision of heritage.
Our gallery
We warmly invite you to view Babel Tower in person at Kings Gallery Jerusalem. Given Sharir’s historical importance as a pioneering figure in both Israeli visual and performing arts, this original oil-on-paper stands as an essential acquisition for those seeking to enrich their collection with a work of extraordinary imaginative power.
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 primarily in artists from the early period of the 1920’s. Besides, Kings Gallery features leading up-and-coming young artists who will definitely be prominent names in the next few years.
