Hanauca Habait

Gavriel (Gabriel) Cohen (1933 – 2017, French/Israeli) “Hanauca Habait” (1987) Oil painting on paper, hand signed, dated, and titled in the lower right. The sheet measures 27.5 x 39.5 inches and has been mounted, matted, and placed in a 34.25 x 44.5-inch wooden frame. Depicted is a home interior scene with a candle lit Hanukkiah (menorah) dedication near a window that overlooks scenic Israel. Provenance: Michael Hittleman Gallery Los Angeles.

Israeli artist, Gabriel Cohen, was a post-war and contemporary painter. Although largely unknown to the public, his work was presented in exhibitions in museums and galleries in Israel and abroad and was acquired by public and private collections. His naïve and simple style of painting was well received by art critics and described favorably in art publications. Cohen was the winner of the 1987 Jerusalem Prize for Painting and Sculpture. He was known for his use of a repetitive range of images, including the Tower of Babel, Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock, the Eiffel Tower, hot air balloons, and messianic figures, that at times were found in combination resulting in richly detailed, fascinating works of art.