Art and designהרולד רובין

Harold Rubin

Harold Rubin was a South African-born Israeli architect, artist and free jazz clarinetist, known for his anti-apartheid art and his work in Israeli jazz.

1932 to 2020Anti-apartheid artThe My Jesus blasphemy trialFree jazz clarinetFounding the band Zaviot

Born: 13 May 1932, Johannesburg
Died: 1 April 2020
Occupation: architect, painter, jazz musician, artist
Education: Jeppe High School for Boys, University of the Witwatersrand

Harold Rubin was born in 1932 in Johannesburg

Rubin was born in Johannesburg on 13 May 1932. His father was born in Latvia. He studied classical clarinet as a teenager but turned to jazz, and he played with black musicians despite apartheid norms.

He attended Jeppe High School for Boys and took private art lessons. He began architecture studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and completed them in London.

His art was first shown in 1956, and his Sharpeville drawings responded to the 1960 massacre. In 1962 police closed an exhibition that included his work My Jesus, and he was charged with blasphemy. He was acquitted in 1963 and moved to Israel.

In Tel Aviv he worked as an architect in the office of Arieh Sharon and taught architecture and design until 1986. His art addressed militarism and war, including The Anatomy of a War Widow in 1984. He returned to jazz and founded the band Zaviot in 1986, followed by later groups such as Trialog and Jada.

He received the Landau Award in 2008 for his work in jazz. He married Riva Wainer in 1957 and Miriam Kainy in 1976. He died on 1 April 2020.