Arie Aroch

Arie Aroch was born in 1908 in Kharkiv

Arie Aroch was born Lyova Nisselvich in Kharkiv, in the Russian Empire, in November 1908. He was the youngest of the 3 children of Rivka-Shulamit and Haim Nisselvich. His father was a wealthy merchant active in Zionist circles, and the boy drew constantly as a child.

In 1924 he moved to Palestine with his parents and sister. He studied art at Bezalel in 1925 and 1926, then attended Gymnasia Herzlia, where classmates called him Aroch, meaning long, because of his height. He later adopted the nickname as his surname, studied architecture at the Technion and briefly studied in the studio of Joseph Zaritsky.

In 1934 he went to Paris and attended some lessons by Fernand Léger. His work from this time shows a restrained expressionism shaped by the School of Paris. He returned in 1936, worked as a land surveyor, and designed stage sets for the Ohel and Habima theaters.

His mature work combined Pop Art and abstract art with elements from his own life, and used Jewish themes. His free scribbling style influenced artists such as Raffi Lavie and Aviva Uri. He also served as Israel's ambassador to Brazil and Sweden, and he died in 1974.