Background
Rudolph ("Rudi") Lehmann was born in Berlin, Germany in 1903.
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Rudi Lehmann
Edit ProfileEducation
In 1917-1922, he studied mechanics and worked as a blacksmith"s apprentice. After studying woodcarving and sculpture with sculptor Harold Isenstein, he attended the municipal arts and crafts school in Berlin, majoring in sculpture and ceramics.
Career
He was one of the pioneers of ceramic art in the State of Israel. In 1928-1930, Lehmann worked for Holzmann"s Stone Mason and Carving company. He became a freelance stonemason and sculptor for museums around Germany, including the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, and worked in terra cotta at Hedwig"s ceramics workshop.
They established a ceramics testing laboratory at the Technion in Haifa and settled on Kibbutz Yagur in 1935, where they established a flower pot factory.
In 1937, the couple opened a sculpture studio in Jerusalem, where Lehmann produced miniature carvings from olive wood, ivory, horn and gemstones sold as tourist souvenirs. In 1945-1947, Lehmann worked for the Haganah, building models and ballistic implements.
In 1947-1948, he joined the Jewish Agency"s Self-Defense Planning Committee. In 1953, he helped to found the Ein Hod Artists" Village, where he taught sculpture.
Among his students were Yigael Tumarkin and Menashe Kadishman.
The school held classes in sculpture, woodcuts and ceramics for young people and adults. Lehmann"s work was influenced by the Canaanism school of Israeli art which attempted to create a direct relationship with the Land of Israel by emphasizing simple shapes and motifs from the sculpture and ritual art of early Middle Eastern civilizations. He died in 1977.
