Batia Lishansky, also Batya, Batyah; Lichanski, Lishanski, (; 1900–1992) was a Russian-born pioneering Israeli sculptor. Working with stone, wood and bronze, she created portraits and memorials commemorating the people and events of the early years of the

State of Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Her many busts portray cultural and political figures as well as members of her family while her monumental memorials are dedicated to those who were killed in the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

. Many of her works can be seen in the permanent exhibition at the Shomer Museum in

Kfar Giladi Kfar Giladi () is a kibbutz in the Galilee Panhandle of northern Israel. Located south of Metula on the Naftali Mountains above the Hula Valley and along the Blue Line (Lebanon), Lebanese border, it falls under the jurisdiction of Upper Galilee ...

Biography

Born in

Malyn Malyn (, ) is a city in Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of Ukraine located about northwest of Kyiv. It served as the administrative center of Malyn Raion until the administrative reform in 2020, when it was merged into Korosten Raion. Population: ...

, Russian Empire, in 1900, Batia Lishansky was the youngest of the four daughters of Shoshanna (1865–1944) and Meir Yonah Lishansky (1862–1942). After immigrating to

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

with her mother in 1910, she studied for a year at the Bezalel Institute under

Boris Schatz Boris Schatz (; Russian language, Russian: Борис Шац; 23 December 1866 – 23 March 1932) was a Lithuanian Jews, Lithuanian Jewish artist and sculptor who settled in Palestine. Schatz was the founder of the Bezalel school and would be late ...

. She then spent a period at the Rome Academy of Fine Arts but returned to Palestine in 1921, settling at the

Ein Harod Ein Harod () was a kibbutz in northern Israel near Mount Gilboa. Founded in 1921, it became the center of Mandatory Israel's kibbutz movement, hosting the headquarters of the largest kibbutz organisation, HaKibbutz HaMeuhad. In 1923 part of the ...

kibbutz and exhibiting her early wood sculptures. In 1923, she went to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

where she studied for three years before spending a further three years at the Academy of Painting and Sculpture in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. She returned to Palestine in 1929. Batia Lishansky died in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

in 1992.

Art career

In a style ranging from expressiveness to realism, her early works were influenced by

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (; ; 12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a u ...

and

Camille Claudel Camille Rosalie Claudel (; 8 December 1864 19 October 1943) was a French sculptor known for her figurative works in bronze and marble. She died in relative obscurity, but later gained recognition for the originality and quality of her work. The ...

. Among the hundreds of busts she created of historic Israeli figures are those of prime ministers

David Ben-Gurion David Ben-Gurion ( ; ; born David Grün; 16 October 1886 – 1 December 1973) was the primary List of national founders, national founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister of the State of Israel. As head of the Jewish Agency ...

Menahem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isr ...

and

Golda Meir Golda Meir (; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was the prime minister of Israel, serving from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and only female head of government. Born into a Jewish family in Kyiv, Kiev, Russian Empire (present-day Ukraine) ...

. However, she is known above all for her memorials, including ''Commemorating the Fallen'' for those who died in the War of Independence (1947–1949). Depicting heroism and comradeship, the series of three can be found at

Kfar Yehoshua Kfar Yehoshua () is a moshav in northern Israel. Located between Haifa and Nazareth, it falls under the jurisdiction of Jezreel Valley Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Ottoman era Near the village there is an archaeologic ...

Beit Keshet Beit Keshet (, ''lit.'' House of the Bow (weapon), Bow) is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located to the east of Nazareth, it falls under the jurisdiction of Lower Galilee Regional Council. As of its population was . It is located immediately opp ...

and Kadoorie Agricultural Village. Her memorial "From Holocaust to Revival" is located at

Netzer Sereni Netzer Sereni () is a kibbutz in central Israel. Located in the Shephelah between Be'er Ya'akov and Ness Ziona, it falls under the jurisdiction of Gezer Regional Council. In it had a population of . History Kibbutz Netzer Sereni was founded in ...

Awards and recognition

Lishansky received the

Dizengoff Prize The Dizengoff Prize for Painting and Sculpture is awarded annually by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality since 1937. The prize is named after Meir Dizengoff, the first mayor of Tel Aviv. According to the Tel Aviv municipality, the purpose of the pri ...

for her contributions to sculpture on two occasions: in 1944 and 1957. In 1986, she was honoured with the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

for Lifework in Sculpture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lishansky, Batia 1900 births 1992 deaths People from Malyn 20th-century Israeli sculptors Israel Prize in sculpture recipients Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the Ottoman Empire 20th-century Israeli women sculptors Jews from the Russian Empire Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design alumni Jewish Israeli sculptors Immigrants of the Second Aliyah

Biography

Art career

Awards and recognition

See also

References