Sasha Okun

Sasha Okun, born in 1949 in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Russia, now lives and creates in Jerusalem, Israel. His art has graced galleries across Israel, Europe, and America, and resides in esteemed museum collections such as the State Hermitage Museum and the Israel Museum. In 2019, the State Russia Museum in St. Petersburg honored him with a major solo exhibition and acquired his profound work, "The Prodigal Son."

Trained in Leningrad, Okun's journey as an artist was marked by his defiance against Soviet conformity, leading to his emigration in 1979 to Rome and subsequently Jerusalem. His art delves into the human condition through a striking portrayal of flesh, revealing profound psychological insights and embracing contradictions.

Rooted in classical traditions yet inherently contemporary, Okun's work references a broad spectrum of art history while forging a distinctive style. Over his 50-year career, he has transitioned from still lifes to conceptual, large-scale installations and monumental oil paintings, beginning with swift sketches that evolve into intricate oil compositions.