Artist Isaac Amitai was born into a Jewish family in Jerusalem in 1907, descended from a family who had lived in the city for five generations. In 1922-1925 he studied at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts in Jerusalem, then in 1928 in Egypt under the painter Naroni, completing his studies at the École Superieure de la Ville, Paris (1931-34).
From 1940 onwards, he participated in group exhibitions organised by the Artists Association and was one of the founders of the Artists' Colony in Safed, where he lived and worked most of the year, also lecturing at schools and colleges in Tel Aviv. In 1950 he had a solo exhibition at Ben Uri Gallery entitled 'Isaac Amitai, Israeli Painter (Sabra)' - referring to a Jewish person born in Israel (or before 1948 in Palestine), he also had solo exhibitions in Leeds, Paris, New York and various US cities, and participated in group exhibitions of Israeli artists in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Amitai painted in oils, tempera, gouache and watercolour and also worked in silkscreen, frequently depicting synagogues and the Israeli landscape in a bold, colourful, Expressionist manner.
He died in Israel in 1984.
