Art and designמיכאל דרוקס

Michael Druks

Michael Druks was an Israeli-born artist who worked in London from 1972 and is known for conceptual works such as the map print Druksland.

1940 to 2022The conceptual map DrukslandConceptual and video artMister Zeev prints with Hanoch LevinAbstract painting

Born: 26 September 1940, Jerusalem
Died: 22 April 2022, London
Occupation: video artist, performance artist, painter

Michael Druks was born in 1940 in Jerusalem

Druks was born in Jerusalem on September 26, 1940, and grew up in Tel Aviv. His parents, Yehezkel and Sarah, came from Poland. As a teenager he was sent to the religious boarding school Kfar Batya.

He studied painting in Haifa, then at the Art Institute in Bat Yam and the High Institute for Painting in Tel Aviv. After his army service he lived in Jaffa and worked in a weaving factory.

In the late 1960s he was active in the 10+ Group and in theater, and his early work drew on pop art and ready-made materials. In 1970 he organized environmental exhibitions and showed installations at the Israel Museum. He received several grants and prizes, including the Sandberg Prize in 1973.

In 1972 he left Israel, lived in Holland, and then settled in London. His conceptual works of the 1970s dealt with Israeli identity, using staged photographs and maps such as Druksland. He showed at Documenta 6 in 1977 and in 1980 made the print series Mister Zeev with Hanoch Levin.

From the 1980s he turned mainly to painting in an abstract style. He died at his home in London on April 22, 2022, leaving a wife and 2 children.