L’œuvre du peintre Isaac Maimon est d’une facture puissamment parisienne, dans ses sujets, ses ambiances, le choix et les postures de ses personnages. C’est un continuel défilé de terrasses et de boudoirs d’hôtels cossus, animés de silhouettes d’une rare féminité et d’une totale élégance, où dominent les grands chapeaux décorés, les fins décolletés, les postures nonchalantes des grandes bourgeoises, le visage à la moue toujours boudeuse, d’un adorable snobisme, cent fois reproduit et cent fois différent. Les couleurs vives font vibrer les ensembles sans, curieusement, nuire à l’intimité des moments cernés. C’est la peinture d’un Paris de 1900 autant que de l’an 2000, le Paris éternel des endroits discrètement dédiés à la mode.

Maimon, né en Israël, peint depuis sa tendre enfance; il est aussi un homme d’affaires, dans ce domaine des cafés dont il s’acharne à recréer l’ambiance et qu’il apprit à connaître en croquant ses esquisses sur place, comme Lautrec et Matisse, dont il admet l’influence. Il cite aussi Haim Kiva et Moshe Rosenthalis, mais surtout l’École des Beaux-Arts de Paris.

Claude Sauvage, critique d’art.

galerie

Born in Israel in 1951, to French speaking parents, Maimon exhibited an early artistic ability that was enthusiastically supported by his family. He attended the Avni Institute of fine Art in Tel Aviv, the most prestigious academy for the arts in Israel. This is where his initial interest in the Paris school was cultivated.

In 1980, Maimon began teaching at the School of Visual Arts in Beer-Sheeba and later that year the Kaye Art Academy. In the late 80’s he was a professor at the Ben-Gurion University in Beer-Sheeba. “I have always been attracted to the atmosphere of coffee houses. I try to recreate this in my paintings.I have been painting as far back as I can remember. I received much encouragement from my family and friends. In my youth, I was given important direction from Moshe Agmon and later at the Avni Institute was greatly influenced by Haim Kiva and Moshe Rosenthalis. Other artists whose paintings have affected me are Matisse and of course Lautrec.” Though strongly influenced by the Paris school of art, with his intrepid use of color and line, he creates works that are absorbing, rich and uniquely Maimon.

Maimon’s artwork is currently held in many private and public collections and can be seen at art exhibitions and galleries throughout the world.

gallery