Victor Halvani

A Traditional Jew Creates Some of Israel's Most Modern Sculptures

Visitors driving into Tzfat on the Rosh Pinna-Tzfat road are greeted, as they turn the last corner of that windy stretch of road and approach the outer neighborhoods of Tzfat, with a view of a magnificent sculpture garden. The sculptures are those of Victor Halvani, an artist who has worked and exhibited in Tzfat for many years. It is fitting that these new neighborhoods are connected to the tradition of Tzfat art through the work of an artist who has spent much of his life developing his art in Tzfat and to developing the artists' community of Tzfat.

Victor Halvani was born in 1930 to a traditional Jewish family in Egypt. He grew up in Cairo, completing high school and a year of art school in that city. But following the 1948 Israel War of Independence, when Israel and Egypt fought, the situation for Jews in Egypt became fraught with danger, and the Halvani family joined thousands of other Jewish families in fleeing Egypt. They settled in Israel where Victor began to develop the passions and interests which would shape his art for decades to come.

Halvani's family in Egypt was quite religious, and the traditions and customs of religious Jewish life has always fascinated Halvani. In addition to the memories of his home life and religious upbringing, Halvani has studied Judaism extensively, and derives a great deal of pleasure in exploring his Jewish heritage. Also, Halvani's heritage as an Egyptian has inspired his interest in Egyptian art. He has spent copious amounts of time investigating the mysteries and intricacies of the ancient art of the Egyptians.

Halvani's third passion, interestingly enough, is space-age technology. It seems out of place that a man so involved in the art world and in his religious and cultural traditions would chose modern technology as a "passion", much less as a subject for his sculptures. But Halvani manages to fuse the three subjects, Egyptian art, Jewish ritual and the stories of the Bible together with elements of modern technology in his sculptures, and the resulting sculptures are some of Israel's most admired works of art.

Fusion of Passions into Sculptures

The Halvani gallery, where Halvani's work is on permanent exhibition, sits on the edge of the Artists Quarter, above the Ma'ayan HaRadum public square. However many of Halvani's best-known and most admired sculptures are those which grace outdoor parks, gardens, and public areas throughout Israel. The biblical David is a favorite of Halvani's, and he has used the personality of David to create "David Playing the Harp" and "David with the Sling". He also explores motherhood in works, such as "Maternity" and, "Mother Playing with Child" . Other biblically-inspired works are "Ruth and Naomi" and "Jacob's Dream". Halvani's fascination with technology is seen in his "Space Family".

Victor Halvani may be contacted at his gallery in Tzfat at 04-6974057 or vhalvani@hotmail.com. His gallery is open to visitors throughout the year.