Painter, sculptor and poet
Shlomo Emanuel
Shlomo Emanuel is a painter, sculptor and poet living in Tel Aviv, with family roots in the country spanning eight generations. Influenced by Surrealism and Impressionism, his work brings together reality, fantasy and humour through human, animal and hybrid figures.
Working methods
He paints directly, without preliminary sketches, using oils, acrylics and watercolours, as well as stucco and papier-mâché. In his landscapes, he combines acrylic paint and stucco with palette-knife work to produce a metallic-looking texture.
His figures often have theatrical poses and geometric outlines. Through the meeting of reality and imagination, his work explores personal and collective sorrow, hypocrisy and violence, alongside compassion and love.
From painting to sculpture
His sculptural materials include bronze, iron, paper, fabric and wood. A series of bronze sculptures grew out of his paintings; some translate a particular painted figure into three dimensions.
Poetry and prose
His poetry collection Plastic Leaves was published by Alef in 1985. The Dreams Picker was self-published in 2014, followed by the short-story collection Pillars of Shlomo in 2020. The stories combine imagination and life experiences, sometimes touching on Israel’s history; the collection is not an autobiography.
Art studies
Emanuel studied palette-knife painting at the Avni Institute and sculpture with Oleg Kukulin and David Peer at Sculptura. He also attended courses with painter Amir Nir, Álvaro Castagnet in Girona, and Daniel Yacobovich in Barcelona, Spain.
Personal and professional background
Emanuel holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration. His professional background includes managing factories and companies in Israel and abroad, including Cargal in Lod, Teva in Jerusalem and Srigmish, as well as high-tech entrepreneurship at AtlasCT. He served for many years as a battalion commander in the reserves.