ABOUT ME
I was born as Ferdynand Verderber in Krakow, Poland in 1936. I’m survivor of the Holocaust, I was sent to Israel when I was nine years old with My brother after learning that both parents were killed in the concentration camps. In Israel I studied at the Avni Institute of Art and privately with well known artists such as Marcel Janko, Josef Zaritzky, Chaim Kive, and Ernst Fuchs. Later, while living in Jerusalem I worked as an assistant instructor of sculpture at the Bezalel Academy of Art, organized the after school art program for the entire city, and taught art for UNESCO.
I came to the United States when I was commissioned to create a large scale interactive sculpture for Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1978. Since then, I was created outdoor sculptures for Lehigh University, Temple University, University of Pennsylvania, and B’nai B’rith House. Participated in major invitational outdoor exhibits such as Chesterwood (Massachusetts) and Cheltenham (Pennsylvania) and has exhibited broadly throughout Israel, Europe, and the United States in museums and galleries in one man and group shows.
Large and small scale sculptures for private and public collections are fabricated from metal, wood, stone, and other media. As a result of lost childhood and the loss of a son, Avihu in the War in Lebanon in 1982, I often relies on powerful forms and vibrant primary colors that appeal to children and the creative spirit in all of us; this is especially true of kinetic wall paintings that allow viewers to interact with the work by moving pieces and changing compositions.
Originally trained as a painter, my fascination with sculpture began during my stay in London when the atmosphere and the light became colder and less vibrant for me. This was a drastic change from the warmth and brightness of Israel where I grew up. Unlike in paintings, repetition became a recurrent theme in my three dimensional works. My artwork has been greatly influenced by the fact that my childhood was interrupted because of my experiences in the Holocaust and the loss of both my parents. Perhaps the most influential event in more recent years to affect the evolution of my art was the death of my 19 year old son in Israel's war with Lebanon (1982). This difficult loss caused me to refocus on my feelings about the Holocaust and to create sculpture that was more symbolic about resistance and survival. I believe that resistance and survival stands for strength and power, and that survivors should not be viewed as victims but as the underpinning for new life and renewal. I began constructing pieces where I used repetition (usually six figures with each representing one million souls) and sharply defined forms to convey the fact that resistance can be a powerful force for continuity and the survival of a people-this is especially clear in the case of the six million Sometimes the six forms stand separately and sometimes they are attached so that they emerge as one unique form. In some sculptures, each of the six forms is painted with a different bright color which seduces even very young viewers to become engaged with the work.. My belief in the importance of the strength of all people to stand up against evil forces continues to be the inspiration for new works.
Where You Can See My Artwork
