Mordechai Ardon

Mordechai Ardon was an Israeli painter trained in both modern and classical techniques and known for his distinctive, semiabstract, richly colored work. Born Max Bronstein in Tuchów, Galicia, Ardon moved to Germany in 1919 and studied at the Bauhaus school with the painters Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. Ardon then attended the more traditional Academy of Decorative Arts in Munich before fleeing Germany in 1933 and settling in Palestine, where he changed his surname. In Jerusalem, Ardon taught at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, later becoming director. From 1952 to 1963, he worked as an adviser to the Israeli Ministry of Education and Culture. He continued painting, combining elements of Jewish mysticism with contemporary modes of expression.