The Late Ahuva Sherman: A Centenary Retrospective "Hadran" – A Retrospective Exhibition at The Samah Awad Gallery of Art, Daliyat al-Karmel, Opening Reception: Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 18:00 . Curator: Ruti Segal
The grand opening of the retrospective exhibition commemorating the centenary of the birth of the late artist Ahuva Sherman—commencing on Saturday evening, June 13, 2026, at the Samah Awad Gallery in Daliyat al-Karmel—offers a renewed opportunity to examine her extensive oeuvre and her distinct position within the history of Israeli art. Sherman, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 96, bequeathed a rich, autonomous, and multifaceted artistic legacy shaped by decades of uninterrupted creative practice.
Born in Tel Aviv in 1926, Sherman relocated during her childhood to Haifa—the city that became her lifelong home and whose geographical landscapes served as a primary conceptual source for her work. While her artistic aptitude was apparent from an early age, socioeconomic constraints forced her to independently navigate her education and professional development. Driven by determination, intellectual curiosity, and a profound commitment to her practice, she successfully established her career. Operating as a young mother within a predominantly male-dominated artistic field, she achieved a significant breakthrough in the 1960s, exhibiting both nationally and internationally without the aid of representation or institutional connections within the Tel Aviv art establishment.
Sherman’s oeuvre is fundamentally anchored in local topographies and the Mediterranean light, encompassing Haifa, Jerusalem, the Galilee, the desert, and the sea. However, her practice transcended conventional landscape painting. Her paintings, tapestries, prints, collages, and pastels manifest a continuous dialogue between space, memory, materiality, and affect. A defining characteristic of her practice was her rigorous rejection of repetition; Sherman constantly sought new visual vocabularies, mediums, and perspectives. Consequently, each gallery room presents works from distinct periods, showcasing stylistic evolutions that nevertheless retain her idiosyncratic signature. Characteristically, the artist herself noted that a retrospective of her work might easily be mistaken for a group exhibition.
Certain individuals leave enduring marks that remain visible across time and space; Ahuva Sherman was exemplarily so. Throughout her career, she impressed her artistic identity upon canvas, ceramic, textiles, and pigment. Her dedication to visual art manifested early in her youth, demonstrating exceptional painterly skill during her primary education, while her formal aesthetic sensibilities were initially expressed through avant-garde garment design.
Parallel to her artistic achievements, Sherman demonstrated an exemplary commitment to civic and humanitarian causes. She philanthropically donated artworks to non-profit organizations and medical institutions, mentored immigrant artists, and lectured extensively to students. Her contributions garnered widespread institutional recognition, including the prestigious Herman Struck Prize and the Worthy Citizen of Haifa title. This retrospective serves not merely as a posthumous tribute, but as a critical celebration of a liberated, courageous, and innovative artist who successfully translated local landscapes and existential experiences into a rich, accessible, and spiritually resonant visual language.
Exhibition Hours:
Fridays and Saturdays: 10:00–14:00
By prior appointment: 050-7675688
Exhibition Closing: July 13, 2026
