Zigi Ben-Haim

The work of Zigi Ben-Haim combines forms from the living world and the industrial world. According to the artist, these two worlds adopt the other and collide to form a third being, a “kind of existence that reflects that idea of survival, and projects the energy of life.” Known for his experimentations with unconventional materials, Ben-Haim’s sculptures draw on a personal vocabulary of symbol and form. Some of these include images of the leaf, the oval, the brick, and the ant. Splendid Stepcomes to Grounds For Sculpture from its previous location near the United Nations building in NYC. The sculpture features painted aluminum and steel mesh that has been filled by a stone and concrete mixture. Standing 13 feet tall, the sculpture seems to proudly advance toward the viewer. On the edge of the arm which wraps around the sculpture, a hand-like leaf sits upright, signifying nature and growth. The large oval form behind it implies continuity and the beginning of a new cycle. Ben-Haim uses the blue color of the oval to signify continuous motion, air, and spirit. About the work, Ben-Haim has said, “My Splendid Steprepresents the small steps that eventually make a difference.” The use of varied materials has been compared, by the artist, to his own multi-cultural past— the layers of different cultures he has experienced, much like the layers of materials, must adapt to each other to survive.

Ben-Haim was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1945. He was raised and educated in Israel, then moved to the United States to attend San Francisco State University, where he earned a MFA in 1974. Since 1975 he has lived and worked in New York City. Ben-Haim has participated in numerous solo and group shows in the United States, Israel, and Europe. Grants and awards have included two Pollack Krasner Foundation Grants, the Niche Award for sculpture, and a Guest Artist Fellowship from the Artists Union, USSR. His work is included in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum, NYC; the Jewish Museum, NYC; and the American National Gallery, Washington DC. In the spring of 2003, 13 sculptures and 4 paintings by Ben-Haim were on view at Grounds For Sculpture as part of the artist’s traveling solo exhibition, Journey With Me.

Splendid Step, 2003
aluminum, cast stone, stainless steel mesh, epoxy paint; 156” x 72” x 96”
Courtesy of the Artist