Avner Ben Gal, Friday the 13th.

Avner Ben-Gal, born 1966 in Ashkelon, Israel, lives and works in Tel Aviv and Los Angeles. Ben-Gal’s paintings and drawings often depict dark themes creating a parallel between his raw way of painting and his tough, ambiguous subject matter allowing a unique intensity within his works. Creating scenes from his imagination, Ben-Gal’s works are often viewed as allegories of ongoing Middle East conflict, heightening their emotional impact.

He received a B.A. Fine Art (Cum Laude) at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, in 1993.  Solo exhibitions include: Tempo Rubato, Tel Aviv (2015); CFA, Berlin (2013); Sadie Coles HQ, London (2012); Smackville – Bortolami, NY (2010); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2009); Kunstmuseum Basel (2008); Sudden Poverty – Aspen Art Museum (2007); Helena – Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2002); Avivit – the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (1995); Ethiopian Birthday Party – The Ramat-Gan Museum of Art, Ramat-Gan (1994). He participated in group exhibitions at Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato (2013); Givon Art Forum, Tel Aviv (2012); Bat-Yam Museum of Art, Tel-Aviv (2010); Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa, Israel (2009); Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen Rotterdam (2006); Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin (2005); 50th Biennale di Venezia, Venice (2003); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2001); Israel Museum of Art, Jerusalem and Herzilya Museum of Contemporary Art, Herzliya (both 1998), among others.

He was awarded several internationally renowned prizes, such as the Tel Aviv Museum for Art Prize in 2006, and was granted the Residency program at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Art, NY in 2001.

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