Art and designאלכסנדר אוקון

Alexander Okun

Alexander "Sasha" Okun was an Israeli painter, author and teacher who taught drawing at the Bezalel Academy of Arts in Jerusalem.

1949 to 2025Painting and drawingTeaching drawing at BezalelBooks with Igor GubermanSoviet non-conformist art

Born: 12 May 1949, Saint Petersburg
Died: 6 November 2025, Jerusalem
Occupation: journalist, painter, writer, educator

Alexander Okun was born in 1949 in Saint Petersburg

Okun was born in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg, in the USSR on 12 May 1949. He began painting as a child at the Palace of Pioneers and later studied at Art School 190.

He studied at the Stieglitz State Art and Industry Academy and earned a Master of Arts. From 1972 to 1976 he taught drawing in Leningrad. In the 1970s he took part in the underground art movement and showed his work in non-conformist exhibitions.

In 1979 he immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem. He taught drawing at Bezalel from 1986 to 2023 and at Emunah College from 1988 to 2001. He also worked in Russian-language radio and television, including programs with Igor Guberman.

His paintings and drawings draw on Western art history and show grotesque or heavy figures. He also wrote books, illustrated books by other writers, and translated Elie Wiesel into Russian. His works are held in museums in Israel, Russia and Austria.

In September 2025 the Tel Aviv Museum of Art opened his solo exhibition "Corpus". He attended the opening and died of pancreatic cancer on 6 November 2025.