The legacy of Daniel Kafri – Israel’s preeminent sculptor
Israel mourns the loss of genius sculptor Daniel Kafri, who passed away last week at the age of 79.
The artistic soul of Danny Kafri has not passed away. It greets every traveler as they arrive or depart from Ben-Gurion airport. The bust of David Ben–Gurion, crafted by Kafri at the age of 25, reminds each of us that Israel’s existence is a miracle born of sweat and commitment. He was later also asked to sculpt a bust of Yitzhak Rabin, in his memory for millions of travelers to view as they visit the Jewish State.
Born in Ruzomberok, Czechoslovakia in 1945, the Kafri family immigrated to Israel when he was four years old. Kafri’s passion for his people, his religion, his nation and its biblical history, are portrayed in the exquisite marbles which he selected from the quarries of Carrara, Italy. From those enormous slabs of stone, the spirit of Kafri’s love were crafted.
Originally trained at the Bezalel Academy, Kafri devoted his life to the creation of works based on Jewish History. Three of his famous stone monuments – Noah’s Ark, The Flute Player and Hallelujah, were commissioned by the Jerusalem Municipality when he was only 27.
For two years, (from 1975-77) Danny carved out “The Gate of Faith” monument made from Galilee Limestone, four meters tall, depicting the biblical past of the people of Israel. The monument rests on a hill in the center of Old Jaffa and is the largest stone monument in Israel.
The bust of Yitzhak Rabin, then prime minster, was commissioned by his wife Leah. The Schechter Institute in Jerusalem commissioned a twometer tall work, made of Jerusalem Limestone depicting the Twelve Tribes of Israel.
His memorial for the Ethiopian Jews who perished on their way to Israel was commissioned by the Jewish National Fund. The monument is composed of five high-relief stone panels, each one square meter in size, and sits near Ramat Rachel near Jerusalem.
The Sonesta Hotel in Taba commissioned a wall relief 8.5 meters tall and 7 meters wide for its lobby. The Hilton Hotel in Taba displays his stone relief which is two meters tall and four meters wide in its lobby.
The Prime Minister’s Office of Rabin commissioned his bronze “Peace Dove” to be given by Rabin to state leaders who supported the peace process, among them Kings Hussein, Hassan and Juan Carlos, and president Bill Clinton.
In 1996 Kafri won the competition for a sculpture commemorating the liberation of Eilat. The eight-meter tall work is the largest bronze sculpture in Israel. “The Liberation of Eilat” sits for all to view on Eilat’s boardwalk.
The Soda Club corporation commissioned Kafri’s 25 meter high sculpture “They Changed their Swords into Plowshares” for display in the company’s courtyard.
Daniel Kafri was constantly creating works of art. Beginning with clay prototypes, then sculpted in marble, many of them were cast into limited editions in bronze. His collections have been heralded at private exhibitions in New York, Boca-Raton Florida, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and of course in Jerusalem. His works are currently available at the Keter Gallery on King George street in Jerusalem.
EVERYWHERE ONE TURNS in Israel… there is evidence of Kafri’s talent and contribution to our memories, both past and present. In the Yad Vashem children’s memorial, is Kafri’s exquisite marble portrait of the child of the Holocaust in whose memory the exhibit was created. It is haunting and beautiful. The abstract becomes very real upon viewing the cherubic face, lost for eternity.
During Kafri’s most prolific period of creativity, he was fortunate to have been supported and given free-reign to fulfill his potential. Jack Belz, a Tennessee entrepreneur and owner of many hotels, enlisted Kafri to create large works of art for his hotels. In 1998 the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic art in Memphis, Tennessee was created to house his personal lifetime collection of art. The museum displays to this day, over 30 large bronze wall reliefs commissioned from Kafri, each with a theme from one of the important narratives from the Torah.
In many Israeli cities their most exquisite monuments
were designed and created by Kafri. In Jaffe … thousands of visitors pose in front of his enormous and exquisite creation. In Eilat, one is greeted by Kafri’s sculpture of “The Ink Flag” upon entering the city. More of his sculptures are on permanent display for public viewing at Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem-Mount Scopus, Bar-Ilan University, Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer, Soroka Hospital Beersheba, at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, in Pardes Hannah, Herzliya and The Hotel Lev, Jerusalem.
Kafri had a love of both marble and its potential for design. A unique abstract exhibition of enormous pieces of modern conception were on offer at his one-man, 2001 exhibition in the forecourt of the Jerusalem Theater.
Many of Kafri’s sculptures were created in workshops in Carrara Italy. The blocks of marble were often too heavy to ship to Jerusalem before they were sculpted. However, Danny purchased a pardes – an orchard – with a very large structure where he could sculpt some of his massive works, in the town of Pardes Hanna.
Upon the celebration of the unequivocal recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, with the relocation of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv, Kafri created a wall relief in bronze of trumpets heralding the news, intending to gift it to president Donald Trump and the United States for the ceremony. US regulations against accepting any gifts made that impossible.
That design can be seen at the Keter Gallery.
When asked whether he could imagine “retiring” Danny would shake his head and say “I want to die with a chisel in my hand.” He came very close to that dream. He was still sketching future projects and working with clients as his health began to fail. He never gave up on his passions… and he will be remembered for them, for eternity.