Reuven Rubin (1893–1974)

Reuven Rubin was an Israeli painter. He was born in Romania and made Aliyah in 1912 in order to study at the "Bezalel" academy of the arts. During the years 1913 – 1915 he studied at Ecole des Beaux-Arts in France. He stayed in Romania during the First World War, and from 1920 to 1922 he lived in the United States, where he had an exhibition shown by Alfred Stieglitz in New York. Rubin settled in Eretz Yisrael in 1923, taking part in the "Migdal David" and "Ohel" exhibitions. His work was shown at the same time in Paris, London and New York. Rubin was the first Israeli painter to gain an international reputation. His paintings, many of them depicting local landscapes, were known for their colorfulness and romanticism, typical of the pioneering spirit in Israel during the 1920's and 1930's. His other known works include portraits and paintings expressing the way of life among traditional Jewish families in Jerusalem and Safed. Rubin was made Israel's first ambassador to Romania. He was awarded with Dizengoff Prize (1964) and Israel Prize (1973). Two of Rubin's paintings are located in the Knesset: "A Mountainous View of the Galilee," (left) which was created in 1966 specifically for the Cabinet Room in the Knesset, and "This is the Land," (right) which was donated to the Knesset by Rubin's widow in 1983 and hangs in the Chamber of the Knesset Speaker.