Tal Avitzur is a found-object sculptor known for creating assemblage robots, creatures, spaceships and other fantasy-themed

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

Early life and education

Avitzur was born in 1962 in

Haifa, Israel Haifa ( ; , ; ) is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropolitan area in Israel. It is home to t ...

. He was raised in Allentown, PA. His father was a professor of

metallurgy Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys. Metallurgy encompasses both the ...

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

. Avitzur received his

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in mathematics from Lehigh University in 1983 and his M.A. in mathematics from

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

in 1985.

Career

While studying for his master's degree Avitzur lived in the Santa Barbara home of painter Irma Cavat and was her studio assistant. Cavat's home was also the winter studio for sculptor

George Rickey George Warren Rickey (June 6, 1907 – July 17, 2002) was an American kinetic sculptor known for geometric abstractions, often large-scale, engineered to move in response to air currents. Early life and education Rickey was born on June 6, ...

. Avitzur worked for Rickey as well, both in Santa Barbara and East Chatham, NY. Avitzur also worked for ceramacist

Beatrice Wood Beatrice Wood (March 3, 1893 – March 12, 1998) was an American artist and studio potter involved in the Dada movement in the United States; she founded and edited '' The Blind Man'' and '' Rongwrong'' magazines in New York City with French ...

in Ojai, CA until her death in 1998. Avitzur credits his father's research with metals and his employment with various artists for his decision to become an artist. Avitzur's sculpture teacher was kinetic sculptor Ken Bortolazzo. Avitzur gathers materials for his sculptures from auto and marine salvage yards, scrap metal yards, garage and estate sales and flea markets. He disassembles, cleans, polishes and sorts the parts. Avitzur's sculptures have been displayed at the

Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in Santa Barbara, California. The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit which operates both a flagship Mission Canyon campus locate ...

, Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop,

La Luz de Jesus Gallery La Luz de Jesus Gallery is a commercial art gallery located in Los Angeles, California. It is closely associated with the Lowbrow Art Movement, Kustom Kulture, and pop surrealism. It is located on the top floor of Soap Plant / Wacko. History ...

, and the Bay Area Maker Faire Applied Kinetic Arts Group Gallery Space. Avitzur was included in ''Between Seer and Seen'', a photo book of Santa Barbara County artists, released in 2013 by Mark Robert Halper. Avitzur participated in a video and advertising campaign for financial and retirement services company Athene in 2021.

Personal life

Avitzur lives with his wife, Lisa, in

Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

and occasionally teaches mathematics at

Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a public community college in Santa Barbara, California. It opened in 1909 and is located on a campus. History Santa Barbara City College was established by the Santa Barbara High School District in 1909, m ...

. His home, workshop and gallery are run on solar power and he drives an electric car.

External links

Official website

References

21st-century American sculptors Robotic art Assemblage artists Artists from Santa Barbara, California {{DEFAULTSORT:Avitzur, Tal 1962 births Living people