Sculptress blends ballet with bronze

Sculptor Razia Gershon, who has custom-made pieces for Clinton, Peres and King Hussein, among many others, officially launched her Web site this week.

By SHMULIK MERMELSTEIN
bronzart888 (photo credit: )
bronzart888
(photo credit: )
Ramat Hasharon-based sculptor Razia Gershon's bronze sculptures are on display at the Clinton Library in Arkansas and at the Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv, and even at the Museum for the History of the Israeli Intelligence Service. Now, though, Gershon is debuting her Private Bronze Collection on her own Web site, http://www.razia-bronze.com. The veteran sculptor who has custom-made pieces for Clinton, Peres and King Hussein of Jordan, among many others, officially launched the Web site this week, after having her works presented to heads of state, international art collectors and dignitaries for more than 10 years. Gershon's bronze sculptures are presented in figurative classic style, based on and inspired by the human body, its movements and ballet steps. That should come as no surprise, as she studied modern ballet under Gertrud Krauss and classical ballet under Mia Arbatova. The Wingate Institute graduate also worked as a ballet instructor. She later graduated from the Avni Institute of Art in Tel Aviv, pursuing her studies under Tania Preminger and David Zondelovitz, professors in art academies in Russia. Gershon later attended art history lectures with Prof. Marcel Mendelson at Bar-Ilan University as well. Initially, Gershon focused on designing sculptures of dancers - the on-line collection features a ballerina, a classical dancer, a Spanish dancer, a Flamenco dancer, a dancer at rest, a dancer at the studio, and a work called "Won't stop dancing," just to name a few - which have enjoyed considerable success and garnered great interest. Later, Gershon created a series of portraits of leaders from different areas of life, including the aforementioned dignitaries. (Lest you think that she focuses exclusively on left-wing personalities, Gershon has also done bronze sculptures of right-wing figures Binyamin Netanyahu and Avraham "Yair" Stern, founder of the Stern Gang.) She has also created a series of animal sculptures, especially sheep, which she displays in a unique and at times humorous interpretation of human and animal forms that combines classical and modern sculpture. Her bronze works vary in size, from small peace-themed statuettes presented to foreign dignitaries in Israel, to life-size garden sculptures of sheep and children at play.