Leon Bronstein (; born July 20, 1951) is an Israeli sculptor.

Early life, family and education

Bronstein was born in

Tiraspol Tiraspol (, ; also /; , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova, where it is the third-largest city. The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of cul ...

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

, part of the

USSR 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 ...

at the time. He graduated from the

Technicum (College) after completing his studies in the field of Engineering. During his last years in USSR, he worked as a watchmaker. In 1979, Bronstein “made aliyah” (emigrated) with his family to

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 ...

, first residing in

Or Akiva Or Akiva () is a city located in the Haifa District of Israel, on the country's coastal plain. It is located inland from the ancient port city of Caesarea and the Mediterranean Sea, and to the north of the city of Hadera. It is south of Haifa and ...

where he studied Hebrew in the Ulpan.

Career

Bronstein specializes in the semi-abstract style of art, using

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

as his preferred medium. Initially, he started his sculpting career using wood as a medium. He worked with olive wood for several years. He began working in the sculpting department of “Touch Wood," a former factory manufacturing hand-made sculptures and memorabilia for tourists. After the factory closed he began his independent career as a sculptor. Bronstein’s first art exhibit took place in 1985 in New York’s Art Expo. He presented his work there, among other artists such as Alex Katz. After his first exhibition, he received an offer to be part of the permanent exhibition at the Emil Leonard Gallery in Soho, New York, US. In 1985, Bronstein began to use bronze exclusively, with his first sculptures being presented in the E.S. Lawrence Gallery in Aspen, Colorado, and Los Angeles, US. In 1992, Bronstein was invited by the Minister of Culture of the USSR to exhibit his work in the International Russian Culture Foundation in Moscow, Soviet Union. In 2001, his sculpture “To the Sky” was installed in the entrance to Terminal 1 at

Ben-Gurion International Airport Ben Gurion International Airport , commonly known by the Hebrew language, Hebrew-language acronym (), is the main international airport of Israel. Situated on outskirts north of the city of Lod and directly south of the city of Or Yehuda, i ...

in Israel. An additional sculpture cast of “To the Sky” is located in the headquarters of Larson-Juhl Corporation in Atlanta, Georgia, US. In 2002, he exhibited at the

Triton Museum of Art The Triton Museum of Art is a contemporary art museum located at 1505 Warburton Avenue in Santa Clara, California. History The museum was founded in 1965 in San Jose, California, by rancher, lawyer and art patron W. Robert Morgan and his wife ...

in Santa Clara, California, US. In 2004, the sculpture “Caring Hands” was installed in the Saint Louis Public Health Centre. In 2012, he participated in “Muse”, an outdoor sculptures exhibit, in Mamilla Avenue, Jerusalem. In 2016, his sculpture “Exercises” was installed in the entrance to Ein Hod, an artist’s village in Israel. A twin statue of “Exercises” is located at Northland College, Wisconsin. In 2018, the sculpture “Starry Starry Night” was installed in the

Denver Botanic Gardens The Denver Botanic Gardens is a public botanical garden located in the Cheesman Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. The park contains a conservatory, a variety of theme gardens and a sunken amphitheater, which hosts various concerts in the ...

, Colorado, US. In 2020, an exhibition of Bronstein’s work took place at SLUMA,

Saint Louis University Museum of Art The Saint Louis University Museum of Art is the formal art museum for Saint Louis University. It is located at 3663 Lindell Boulevard in St. Louis, Missouri and is also known as Doris O'Donnell Hall. Architecture Designed in the Beaux-Arts arch ...

, Missouri, US. His sculpture “Sharing the Same Thoughts” was installed at the entrance to the museum. This exhibition is currently presented at the Caitlyn Gallery in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Personal life

Bronstein resides and works in the artist’s village of

Ein Hod Ein Hod () is a village in Haifa District in northern Israel. Located at the foot of Mount Carmel and southeast of Haifa, it falls under the jurisdiction of Hof HaCarmel Regional Council and has the status of community settlement (Israel), comm ...

in Israel. He and his wife Berta (Betty) have three children.

References

The Winter Family Collection, Leon Bronstein, Between the Real and the Fantastic, St Louis University MUSEUM of ART

Miriam Or Dr. Art Historian and Art Critic, LEON BRONSTEIN - The Magic World Of Sculpture

Ponzio Campus Center Northland College Ashland, WI.US
* Official Leon Brostein's Website https://www.leonbronstein.com/

External links

Artist's page at Lahaina Galleries

Artist's page at Saatchi Art

Artist's page at Art Sy
*The Caitlyn Gallery https://www.caitlyngallery.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronstein, Leon Israeli people of Moldovan-Jewish descent Israeli sculptors 1951 births Living people