Kings Gallery in Jerusalem proudly features Mire’eh (Pasture), a vibrant original masterpiece by Israel Prize laureate Menashe Kadishman. Created in oil on paper laid on canvas, this 83 x 61 cm work showcases Kadishman’s masterful interplay between bold color fields and iconic pastoral form.
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About Menashe Kadishman
Born in Tel Aviv in 1932, Menashe Kadishman became one of Israel’s most influential global artistic figures. His early youth shaped his legendary motif: in the 1950s, Kadishman worked as a shepherd on Kibbutz Yizre’el. This intimate experience with nature permanently etched the form of the sheep into his creative consciousness.
Kadishman honed his craft at the Avni Institute in Tel Aviv before undertaking advanced studies in London at Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art. He gained international renown at the 1978 Venice Biennale, where he famously transformed the Israeli pavilion into a live sheep pen—painting blue marks on their backs as part of a living sculpture. He earned the prestigious Israel Prize in 1995. Throughout his career, Kadishman used the sheep motif to explore universal themes of innocence, sacrifice (Akedah), nature, and connection to the land.
The Color Field Harmony of Mire’eh
In Mire’eh, Kadishman elevates his famous pastoral theme into an intriguing study of spatial abstraction and color theory. Rather than rendering a realistic landscape, he builds a quiet, contemplative sanctuary using stacked geometric planes of color.
A black-headed sheep with a warm orange body recline in the foreground, anchored beside yellow and emerald-green animal forms that rest within solid fields of saturated blue, soft violet, and deep crimson.
The painting establishes a compelling dialogue between warmth and stillness. The cool blue and lilac blocks balance the fiery intensity of the surrounding red frame. By reducing resting sheep to pure silhouette and graphic contour, Kadishman strips away decorative detail to focus on pure form. The title Mire’eh (Hebrew for pasture or grazing ground) describes a harmonious world where organic life and abstract color exist in perfect equilibrium.
Our Gallery
We invite you to visit Kings Gallery in Jerusalem to view Mire’eh in person and experience its luminous color harmony firsthand.
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.
Contact Kings Gallery in Jerusalem today to inquire about pricing or to add this original Menashe Kadishman painting to your private collection.