Lot 375: Fima (Efraim Roeytenberg; 1916-2005) – Interior / Portrait

Fima (Efraim Roeytenberg; 1916-2005), Interior / Portrait.
Oil pastel on paper. Signed.
19X18 cm, matted and framed. Good condition.
Fima (Efraim Roeytenberg; 1916-2005), born in Harbin, China. Studied painting, calligraphy, and architecture in Shanghai, where he lived in the 1940s, eventually finding work as a designer and painter of theater sets. Immigrated to Palestine in 1947 and settled in Jerusalem, where his first employment was as a sign painter. Subsequently worked as a Department of Labor inspector overseeing construction sites of housing projects. Left Israel after a number of years and settled in Paris, returning to Israel again only in 2002. His artwork is closely connected to the natural world, and represents a blend of Chinese calligraphy with European traditions of abstract painting. "[…] abstract and figurative art of the most delicate form, coexisting side-by-side and speaking to the viewer laconically, through hints and riddles […] Fima's work creates a dramatic – occasionally even tragic, but always poetic – reflection of his life. The various influences have been blended in his work, and the result of this integration is lightness; rich, delicate and restrained color; halting joy diluted with a trace of silent grief…" (Dr. Haim Gamzu, “Art Criticism, ” 2006 [Hebrew], p. 320).
Provenance: The Rami Cohen Collection.

Art collector Rami Cohen (1941-2018), native of Poland, immigrated to Israel with his family in 1948. Educated in Moshav Nahalal, he began painting already in his youth. Served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces' standing army, and was decorated for the act of evacuating wounded soldiers under fire. Cohen was injured his right hand in the course of his army service, the injury leaving him disabled and unable to pursue his dream of becoming an artist. Nevertheless, he never lost his love for art, and the adversity he experienced simply led him to change direction from artist to art collector, and to devote much of his strength and wealth toward assembling his collection, leading him to become a passionately involved participant and a dominant influence in a number of different artistic circles. He organized and curated various art exhibitions, including, for example, "Nation Builds Land: Israeli History as Mirrored through Art" (1988) at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art. His collection includes portraits by Yehezkel Streichman and Menashe Kadishman who personally presented them to him as gifts, as a token of their friendship. He similarly established close friendships with many other artists. Ensuring that Israeli art command the respect it deserved was high among his lifelong list of priorities, as was the challenge of enabling artists to thrive and prosper; to that end, he lent his personal assistance to artists seeking to advance their professional careers. He took a special interest in artists such as Michail Grobman, Shmuel Ackerman, and others arriving in Israel from the former Soviet Union, and helped bring them into the public spotlight. Initiated and edited the online database entitled "Omanut Israel" (or "Art 23,") which included articles and media reviews in addition to a great deal of professional material relating to the Israeli art scene, being utilized by professional and government bodies. His collection is multi-faceted and richly diverse, consisting of artworks by both Israeli and non-Israeli artists, representing a broad spectrum of artistic styles, schools, and trends – a collection that reflects significant and fascinating developments in the field of Israeli art over a period of several decades, all from the point of view of a true lover of art.