Michelle Obama (The Truth Behind a Portrait), 2020

Yigal Ozeri  

New York City based Israeli artist Yigal Ozeri is best known for his large-scale cinematic portraits of young women in vast transcending landscapes. His near photo-realistic oil paintings convey the spirit of his subjects in a grand array of natural settings: from abundant rain forests to dreary deserts.

Thousands of tiny brushstrokes animate his lifelike paintings, giving way to a remarkable realism, distinct beauty, and seductive power. Ozeri seizes fleeting moments and gives them life. As a result, the viewer is compelled to gaze into the allegorical domain between reality and fantasy. Ozeri has shown extensively around the world including solo exhibits in Bologna, Barcelona, Los Angeles, Toronto, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, France, Denmark, and Munich. His work is included on the cover and in the book Photorealism and the Digital Age.

He is currently in a traveling show titled 50 Years of Hyperrealistic Painting that was showcased in a number of venues including: Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, and Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao.

He is also in the permanent collections of: The Whitney Museum of American Art, The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio, The Jewish Museum in New York, The New York Public Library, The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, The Tel Aviv Museum of Art, The Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation in Los Angeles, and the Albertina in Vienna, among others. He is represented by Louis K. Meisel Gallery in New York City.