Raised on a kibbutz near Hadera, Israel by Abba Kovner and Vitka Kemper, Michael Kovner later moved to Manhatten and studied at the New York Studio School with Philip Guston and Mercedes Matter in the mid-1970s. His painting subjects primarily include landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes and portraits. Kovner finds inspiration from his own life such as his son’s lego toys mixed with notes of timely political tensions. His use of vivid saturated colors, blended with abstractions, pull the viewer into Kovner’s unique view of the world. Krevsky Fine Art is pleased to offer a variety of paintings showcasing his storied career.
PERSONAL
Born: May 25, 1948, Hadera, Israel
Raised and educated on Kibbutz Ein Hachoresh
EDUCATION
1972-1975 – New York Studio School with Philip Guston, Jack Tworkov, and Mercedes Mattar
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Gazing at Parallel Streams, Miskan Museum of Art, ‘Ein Harod
2013 Exteriors: Michael Kovner, 2011-2012, JCC Manhattan
2012 Little Format, Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv
2011-12 Michael Kovner / The Landscape: Jerusalem and Beit Shean, Roe Green Gallery,
Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, OH
2010 New York Landscapes, Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv (book)
2009 In the Presence of a Cliff, Ben Gorion University of the Negev, Beer Sheba
(catalogue)
2007 New York Paintings, George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Wadi Tabor, Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv
Gilboa Tabor, Museum of Art, Ein Harod
2006 The Mountain and the Sea, George Krevsky Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2005 New York Landscapes, Bineth Gallery Tel Aviv
2002 Landscapes 1978-2002, The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan
Seascapes, Gallery on the Cliff, Natania
2001 The Human Side, David Yalin College for Education, Jerusalem
2000 Orchards, Artspace, Jerusalem
Haystacks, Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv
1998 Port, Haifa Museum, Ashdod Museum
Eretz – Landscapes of Israel, Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, Washington, DC,
co-sponsored by the Embassy of Israel for the 50th anniversary of the State of Israel
1997 Eretz, Yale University, New Haven, CT
1996 Eretz, N.A.F.I. Gallery, New York, NY
1995 End of 1995, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1992 A Girl in a Room, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1990 Jerusalem Scenes, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1988 Landscapes, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1985 Meet an Israeli Artist, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Portraits, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1983 Images: Paintings according to “Lego”, Gordon Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1981 Houses in Gaza, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1979 Desert, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1978 Landscape Drawings: A Bird’s Eye View, Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
1975 Paintings from New-York, Artists House, Jerusalem
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019 Family Story, Bochum, Germany, 6 Israeli & Palestinian-Israeli artists on family
stories.
2009 A Selection of Israeli Art: From Gaby and Ami Brown Collectionm, Museum of Art,
Ein Harod (book)
2009 Metter of the Heart: A Selection from Davide Azrieli Collection, Tel Aviv Art
Museum (book)
2005 The Continuous Mark: 40 years of the New York Studio School Part 2, 1972-1978,
NYC, NY
2004 Our Landscapes, University of Haifa, Haifa
2003 Marked Landscapes, Ben Gurion University, Beersheba
2001 Collection +, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
1998 50/50 – Fifty Israeli Artists for Israel’s Fiftieth Anniversary, Jewish Museum,
San Francisco, CA
1997 Landscapes, The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan
1996-97 The Jewish Continuity, Jewish Museum, New York, NY
1995 Autumn Gallery, The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat-Gan
1994 The Printer’s Imprint, Twenty Years of the Jerusalem Print Workshop, The Israel
Museum, Jerusalem
1992 Tribute to Ayala Zacks, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
1991 Mountains Round About, Jerusalem in Israeli Printmaking from the Seventies and the
Eighties, Exhibition sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of
Education and Culture
1988 Fresh Paint, the Younger Generation in Israeli Art, Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, Tel-Aviv
1987 Towards a New Realism, The Ashdot-Ya’acov Museum, Kibbutz Ashdot -Ya’acov
1983 The Negev in Israeli Art, Ben Gurion University of the Negev
1981 A Turning Point, Twelve Israeli Artists, Tel-Aviv Museum of Art, Tel-Aviv
1981 Israeli Prints from the Burston Graphic Center, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2015 “Ezekiel’s World”, Cohel Publishing House (graphic novel)
2010 “Michael Kovner: New York Paintings 2001-2010”, Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
2007 “An Inseparable Bond”, Asian Art News, March/April 2007
2007 “Gilboa and Tabor, Poetry in Color”, Jerusalem Post, Art Section, February 9, 2007
2007 “Sea, Valley, Mountain, Trilogy”, Museum of Art, Ein Harod
2006 “Michael Kovner”, ARTnews, September 2006
2005 “An Israeli Paints the Big Apple”, The Jerusalem Post, January 13, 2005
2002 “Landscapes 1978-2002”, The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan
2002 “Michael Kovner 1975-2001”, The Museum of Israeli Art Exhibition Catalogue, Ramat Gan
2002 “Michael Kovner: The Son Also Rises”, Forward, November 8, 2002
GALLERY REPRESENTATION IN ISRAEL
1978-Present – Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv
PUBLIC WORKS
1998 Mural – Located in Beit-Ha’Oved, Haifa, painting on ceramic tiles, 2.5 x 20 m.
1997 Mural – Located in Electricity Company, Jerusalem, Painting on ceramic tiles, 6 x 4 m.
1979 Mural – Located in “Denmark” High School in Jerusalem, oil on wood, 3.4 x 5 m.
SELECTED PUBLIC & PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Jewish Museum, New York, NY
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Haifa Museum
The Open Museum, Tefen
The President’s Residence, Jerusalem
Constance & Alan Buerger
Charles & Margaret Charnas
Francine Gani
Julie & Russ Keil
Annie & Art Sandler
Liliane & Ed Schneider
Randee & Joe Seiger
Sara & Chris Wallace
FELLOWSHIPS
1984 Awarded fellowship to study in New York by the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation.