|
Biographical Notes
|
|
|
1948 |
Born in Hadera, Israel to Abba and Vitka Kovner. Raised on Kibbutz (collective settlement) Ein-HaChoresh. |
1954-1966 |
Elementary and Secondary Education on Kibbutz Ein-HaChoresh. |
1955 |
Accompanies Vitka, his mother, on a trip to Europe to meet his father who was absent from Israel for a year. A seven year old boy discovers the world of art. |
1958 |
A birthday gift of oil paints and an art lesson from his father jump starts an artistic career. |
1964-1965 |
Studies painting with artist Yochanan Simon in Herzliya (a costal town north of Tel-Aviv) |
1966-1967 |
Following High School graduation, works with youth groups outside the Kibbutz. |
1967 |
During the Six-Day War (June 1967) returns to the Kibbutz to take charg , with fellow Kibbutz youth, of all agricultural work while most of the Kibbutz adults are mobilized for the war. |
1967-1970 |
Military service in an elite army unit. |
1970 |
Following military service, travels to the USA with army buddies. Following a visit with family friends in Los Angeles, California, makes a crucial decision to pursue art as a vocation and to take up his studies in New York rather than in Israel. |
1970 |
Meets Mimi Makover, his future bride. |
1971 |
Works as a security guard for Arkia Airlines while studiying in evening classes at the Avni Institute. |
1972-1975 |
Studies at the New York Studio School. Influenced by the teachings of Philip Guston, Jack Tworkow and Mercedes Mattar. |
1973 |
Returns to Israel for the Yom Kippur War (October December 1973). |
1974 |
Despite the terrible loss of many friends during the war, comes to the painful decision to return to his studies at the New York Studio School, and with other advanced students under the guidance of a talented young painter, Steven Sloman, forms a group that works independently, often in the countryside or at the seashore, critiquing each other’s work. |
1975 |
Returns with Mimi to Israel (via Spain, Southern France and Italy) and embarks on a life of an artist, albeit not yet fully formulated.
Mounts first exhibition of his New York works at the Jerusalem Artists’ House.
Joins Bezalel Academy of Art and Design as an art instructor and the American-Israel Foundation scholarship committee.
|
1976 |
Marries Mimi Makover. Jointly decide to make Jerusalem their permanent home. |
1977 |
First child is born a son, Amikam.
Studies Judaism with Rabbi David Hartman at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.
|
1978-1980 |
Explores new artistic directions with a series of bird’s-eye-view landscapes painted from aerial photographs and desert vistas painted in the outdoors. Begins his relationship woth the Bineth Gallery in Tel-Aviv. Mounts two successful shows at the Gallery desert paintings and an exhibition of drawings. |
1981 |
A second son is born, named Nimrod.
Bineth Gallery exhibits a new series, “Houses in Gaza”.
Exhibits in the Tel-Aviv Museum group show “Turning Point”.
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem acquires a painting “House Painted with Flowers” for its collection.
|
1982-1984 |
Inspired by his two sons playing with the Lego building blocks, exhibits his “Lego” series at Tel-Aviv’s Gordon Gallery. Bineth Gallery refuses the Lego series and terminates its relation with Kovner. |
1985 |
Returns to Bineth Gallery in Tel-Aviv with an exhibition of his portraits of wife Mimi and friend Michal. |
1986 |
Expands from his tiny studio in family residence into a more spacious work area in Jerusalem’s north eastern neighborhood of Pisgat Zeev. |
1988 |
Exhibits at Bineth Gallery his series “Jerusalem Hills”. First major initiative of painting directly in nature. |
1990 |
Exhibits at Bineth Gallery his follow-up series “Jerusalem Scenes”.
Acquires a small two-room apartment in the Katamonim section of Jerusalem for a permanent studio space.
|
1992 |
Exhibits at Bineth Gallery “A Girl in a Room”, painting his son’s young adolescent girlfriend. |
1994 |
Returns to landscape painting. Develops close friendship with artist Jan Rauchwerger. Touring together in Romania along with sculptor Zvi Lachman. Continues with Jan to Lonon and then to Holland to view the Cezanne and Vermeer exhibits. |
1987-1994 |
During this period is strongly effected by several family related tragedies, including the death of his father, poet Abba Kovner. He is thus preoccupied with death, which is fully explored in a series of paintings titled “Sataf” that have never been exhibited. |
1995 |
Bineth Gallery mounts an exhibition “End of ‘95”, an exploration of the Beit Shean Valley its reservoirs, fishponds, birds and cows.
Publishes a large catalogue of works, 1985 - 1995.
|
1996-1997 |
Exhibitions in New York, Washington DC and in New Haven, Connecticut. |
1998 |
Together with artist friend Jan Rauchwerger paints the port of Ashdod. The paintings are exhibited in Museums in Haifa and Ashdod. |
1999-2000 |
Paints the golden landscape of his childhood at Kibbutz Ein-HaChoresh orchards, haystacks and cows.Exhibition at the Bineth Gallery is titled “Just Another Day”. Concurrent exhibits of these works are shown in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv |
2000 |
D.K. GraubArt Publisher Ltd., Jerusalem publishes “Portscapes” and puts out a limited edition of etchings “Port”, interlaced with Hebrew poems about seaports. |
2000-2001 |
Returns to the Beit Shean Valley; deals with the relationship between water and sky and paints the fish ponds and reservoirs in a series entitled “Lakes”.
Jan Rauchwerger asks Kovner to share a studio in New York City where he now works for three months each year.
|
2002 |
Meir Aharonson, curator of The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan, suggest an exhibit of all works entitled “Landscape”. |
|
Selected one-person exhibitions:
|
2002 |
"Journey 1978-2002" The Museum of Israeli Art, Ramat Gan
|
2001 |
"The Human Side", The David Yellin College of Education,
Jerusalem
|
2000 |
"Just Another Day - Haystack", Bineth Gallery, Tel Aviv
|
2000 |
"Just Another Day - Orchards", Artspace Gallery, Jerusalem
|
1998 |
"Port", Haifa Museum.
|
1998
|
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 |
"Yale University, New Haven
|
1996 |
N.A.F.I. Gallery, New York
|
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
|
1985 |
"Portraits", Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
|
1983 |
"Images: Painting according to "Lego", Gordon Gallery, Tel-Aviv
|
1981 |
"Houses in Gaza", Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
|
1979
|
"Desert", Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv
|
1978 |
"A Bird's Eye View - Landscape Drawings", Bineth Gallery, Tel-Aviv.
|
1975
|
"Paintings from New-York", Artists House, Jerusalem. |
|
Selected Group Exhibitions
|
2001 |
"Drawing Ascpects in Print", Jerusalem Artist House, Jerusalem
|
2001 |
"Collection+", The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
|
1998 |
"50/50" - Fifty Israeli Artists for Israel's Fiftieth Anniversary, Jewish Museum, SF
|
1997
|
"Landscapes", Ramat-Gan Museum of Israeli Art
|
1996-7
|
"The Jewish Continuity", Jewish Museum, NY
|
1995
|
"Autumn Gallery", Ramat-Gan, Museum
|
1992
|
Tribute to Ayala Zacks, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
|
1988 |
"Fresh Paint - the Younger Generation in Israeli Art",
Tel-Aviv Museum, Tel-Aviv
|
1987 |
"Towards a New Realism", Ashdot-Ya'acov Museum,
Kibbutz Ashdot-Ya'acov.
|
1981
|
"A Turning Point. Twelve Israeli Artists", Tel-Aviv Museum, Tel-Aviv
|
1981 |
"Israeli Prints from the Burston Graphic Center", The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (catalogue) |
|
Selected Collections
|
|
Jewish Museum, New York
|
|
Israel Museum, Jerusalem
|
|
Tel-Aviv Museum
|
|
Haifa Museum
|
|
The Open Museum Tefen
|
|
The President's Residence, Jerusalem
|
|
Fellowships
|
1984 |
Awarded Fellowship to study in New York by the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation.
|
|
Public Works |
|
Mural - "Denmark" High School in Jerusalem, oil on wood,
3.4 x 5 m., 1979 |
|
Mural - Electric Company, Jerusalem, Painting on ceramic tiles, 6 x 4 m., 1997 |
|
Mural - Beit-Ha'Oved, Haifa, Painting on ceramic tiles, 2.5 x 20 m., 1998 |
|
|