Raphael Abecassis was born in Marrakesh, Morocco in 1953 and grew up in the South of Israel where he works today. He studied art at the College of Education in Beersheva. Raphael is heralded as one of the new generation of Israeli artists with worldwide recognition. Drawing on the rich Jewish tradition, to which he brings his talent, Abecassis has developed a strikingly unique style, combining Jewish symbols, Sephardic motifs, and modern composition into a well-harmonized, bold celebration of color and image.

He has exhibited in many museums and galleries in Israel, the United States, and Canada. In both 1986 and 1991, he won the coveted national competition for the official poster of Israel’s Independence Day celebration. In 1989, Prime Minister Itzchak Shamir of Israel presented Vice-President Dan Quayle a gift of the “Song of Songs” by Abecassis. In 1992, the artist’s exhibit “Odyssey of Spanish Jews” commemorating 500 years since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain went on an international tour from Jerusalem to Montreal, Los Angeles and New York City Hall.

The artist’s works are a combination of the symbols of long-standing Jewish tradition with an innovative collection of colors and forms. His works are a synthesis of the natural and the supernatural, the traditional and the modern, the decorative and the mystic. In subtly varied compositions, precise calligraphy and daring natural colors, Abecassis creates works of aesthetic harmony and formal precision. The artist works in a variety of media including painting, serigraphy, ceramic, silver and glass. One of the artist’s noted accomplishments is the acclaimed “Sephardic Heritage Windows” stained glass located at the Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, in Los Angeles. In 1996, “Jerusalem 3000” a magnificent collection of 25 paintings by the artist, celebrating Jerusalem’s anniversary, was exhibited worldwide.