israel bronze\ brass set big chess art by aharon bezalel 60s biblical sculpture

Bier factory - was founded in Jerusalem by the father of the family Yitzchak Bier over 50 years ago.
Jizchak Bier graduated the Bezalel Academy of Art and in establishing the workshop was also the establishing of a new concept in Judaica Art.
Everything at Bier Judaica is handmade using different silversmith techniques, for example: metal cutting, bending, metal spinning, lost wax casting, hammering.
Bier classic designs make use of bible verses, original decorative lettering and ornaments related to Jewish customs and folklore. The Jerusalem of Gold motif is just one example of these ornaments. We are constantly adding new additions to our wide range. Bier silver Judaica is known all over the world for its unique design, wonderful quality and finish.

Aharon Bezalel - was born in 1926 in the city of Harath, Afghanistan. 

In 1938 the family arrived in Jerusalem.

In the early forties, Aharon and some friends from his community founded the Afghan young people's association, whose goal was to familiarize the youth of this community with Israeli culture. His older sisters learned to read and write in the evening classes set up by the association. In those days he took several courses at the Bezalel Academy of Art, where he would return for a while in the early fifties.

In 1952 he married Bath-Sheba and set up a small workshop by their home, where he carved miniatures after school hours. But these were no longer the folklore objects that had characterized his earlier work. New motifs had emerged: larger Biblical images, originating in the stories of his childhood and youth, now took on the shapes of Canaanite and Nabatean figures.

In the fifties, as Israeli art explored paths to its Biblical roots on the one hand, and to Mediterranean indigenous modes on the other, Aharon's small sculptures became very successful. They were literally grabbed, and galleries just could not show enough of them.

In the late fifties and early sixties, Aharon broke out of his earlier formats. Now he was drawn to the dimensions, volume and possibilities offered by techniques of casting. These, as well as the discovery of new materials, led him to search for essence and forego detail.

For a while he abandoned wood – to which he would return in the eighties – and went on to create in aluminium and bronze. This transition also involved a shift in themes. These became more universal: women and men, the couple, the family, the group. Aharon was establishing himself as a known artist with his own unique style. Exhibitions in Jerusalem, Haifa and Tel Aviv brought on further commissions and shows. After an exhibition at Boston's Pecker-Safrai Gallery, which helped to open more doors in the United States, he left his teaching job at the school and began to devote all of his time to his studio work.

In spite of his activity in the Jerusalem Artists Association – chairing it in 1974-1975 – and his close friendship with many Jerusalem artists (David Polombo, Avraham Ofek, Avraham Mandel and others), he avoided being identified with any specific group or school.