Israel Iosifovich Tsvaygenbaum (; ; born February 1, 1961), is a Russian and American artist of

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish descent. A number of his works are in the Historical, Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve, Derbent.

Biography

Tsvaygenbaum was born in the Southern Russian city of Derbent, one of the oldest cities in the world. The population is predominantly Muslim, but there are also Jewish families residing there. Tsvaygenbaum's parents are Jewish. His father, from Bedzin,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, escaped to the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Tsvaygenbaum's mother was a Mountain Jew from Dagestan, Russia. The culture and dynamic of the life of the area where Tsvaygenbaum grew up and his Jewish background are reflected in his paintings. The Russian newspaper ''Derbentskie izvestiya'' ()Derbentskie izvestiya – ''Jewish Rhapsody'', M. Matatova. May 6.1994. p. 4 once wrote about Tsvaygenbaum's work: Another paragraph in the newspaper says: From 1976 to 1980 Tsvaygenbaum studied art at Izberbash College, Izberbash, Dagestan. In 1991, he completed his master's in fine arts at Kuban State University,

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

. Tsvaygenbaum organized ''Coloring'',Znamya Kommunizma – ''The Artist's Lounge'', B. Menaev an association of artists, in Derbent in 1986. ''Coloring'' had art shows in Derbent and in the Art Gallery in

Makhachkala Makhachkala, previously known as Petrovskoye (1844–1857) and Port-Petrovsk (1857–1921), or by the local Kumyk language, Kumyk name of Anji, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Dagestan, Russia. ...

, Dagestan, Russia. From 1983 to 1985 Tsvaygenbaum pursued his love for acting by playing at amateur Judeo-Tat theatre in his hometown of Derbent. During these times, he painted portraits of two actors, Bikel Matatova (1928-2013) and Roman Izyaev (1940-2018). In November 1993 and April 1994 Tsvaygenbaum had his last two shows in Russia. Both shows were two solo exhibitions held in Moscow, the first at East Gallery and the second, ''JEWISH RHAPSODY'', at The Central House of Artists on Krymsky Val. The artist dedicated ''JEWISH RHAPSODY'' to his father. In July 1994, Tsvaygenbaum and his family left Russia because it had become very dangerous for his family to continue to live in the republic of Dagestan. Currently, he is a resident of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

. In the USA Tsvaygenbaum has continued to work with oil on canvas. His paintings continue to portray both universal and Jewish themes, but noticeably, his palette has shifted from browns to yellows. On December 25, 2016, in Europe and in Israel and on January 15, 2017, in the USA, RTVi broadcast an interview with Tsvaygenbaum in the program '' In New York with Victor Topaller'', where the artist talked about his artwork, life and interesting people that he encountered in his life. In 2016 Tsvaygenbaum was a guest author of the book "There was such a city. Derbent." The book was published in Russian. He included short stories from his childhood days in his hometown Derbent. In 2018 Tsvaygenbaum was the guest author of another book "Proud, Happy, and Thankful to be Jewish." It was published in USA in English. His short stories in the book were labeled "Memoir: The Judaism in My Life." In 2023 Tsvaygenbaum published in USA in English his memoir "My Secret Memory." The artist's memoir is based on his memories and experiences that inspired some of his works of art. It gives the reader a window into the artist's life and the lives of those who were important to Tsvaygenbaum and impactful in his life. The book features 35 images of the artist's paintings.

Cooperation with other artist

In 2001, in Albany, NY, Tsvaygenbaum began collaborating with dancer Judy Trupin. Trupin created dance compositions based on nine of Tsvaygenbaum's paintings. These were the foundation for the show ''Worlds in Our Eyes''. In 2002, the newspaper ''The Record'' wrote: The newspaper ''Daily Gazette'' wrote: ''Worlds in Our Eyes'' had been performed in several cities of

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

Awards

*2013. Media 3. Art Biennial. Diploma of Excellence. Art Addiction Medial Museum. London.

Gallery

File:Israel Tsvaygenbaum Wrapped in Love.jpg, Wrapped in Love (2014) File:Israel Tsvaygenbaum Prayers at the Tree of Life.jpg, Prayers at the Tree of Life (2012) File:Israel Tsvaygenbaum The Angel of Roses.jpg, The Angel of Roses (2012) File:Israel Tsvaygenbaum Conjured Melodies.jpg, Conjured Melodies (2003) File:RosesThumb.jpg, Roses (2002) File:GoldenJarThumb.jpg, The Golden Jar (2001) File:AbrahamAndIsaacThumb.jpg, Abraham And Isaac (2001) File:DuetThumb.jpg, Duet (2000) File:AliyahThumb.jpg, The Way - Aliyah (1997) File:Israel Tsvaygenbaum Two Lives.jpg, Two Lives (1997) File:"The Man and Mouse" by artist Israel Tsvaygenbaum.jpg, The Man and Mouse (1997) File:ShohetWithRoosterThumb.jpg, The Shochet with Rooster (1997) File:Bride1Thumb.jpg, A Bride I (1997) File:BoyLeadingTheAngelThumb.jpg, Boy Leading The Blind Angel (1997) File:BrideThumb.jpg, A Bride (1993) File:BlindMenThumb.jpg, The Blind Men (1992) File:ThePenanceDanceThumb.jpg, The Penance Dance (1992) File:NailedMenThumb.jpg, The Nailed Men (1991) File:DrIlizarovFragm.jpg, Fragment of a Portrait of the doctor Gavriil Ilizarov (1988)

References

External links