Mediaרפי לביא

Raffi Lavie

Raffi Lavie was an Israeli painter and art teacher who founded the 10+ group and taught generations of artists.

1937 to 2007Founding the 10+ groupGraffiti-like scribbled paintingsTeaching at HaMidrashaThe Want of Matter style

Born: 23 February 1937, Ramat Gan
Died: 7 May 2007, Tel Aviv
Occupation: journalist, pedagogue, writer, painter

Raffi Lavie was born in 1937 in Ramat Gan

Raffi Lavie was born in Ramat Gan in 1937 to the Levy family, owners of the Atara café chain. He was a member of the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth movement. He studied at the Art Teachers' Training College in Tel Aviv.

Early in his career he painted spontaneous scrawls that recalled graffiti, comics and children's drawings. He was invited to show with New Horizons, but his work challenged the lyrical style of that group. Later he began gluing photographs, reproductions and posters onto his paintings.

In 1966 he began teaching at HaMidrasha in Ramat HaSharon and founded the 10+ group. He also made experimental films, including Geranium in 1974. He taught at HaMidrasha for 35 years and retired in 1999.

In 1986 the Tel Aviv Museum exhibition Want of Matter presented him as a main model of its style. The Israel Museum held a retrospective of his work in 2002. In 2005 he showed a solo exhibition at Givon Gallery and donated his art collection to the Mishkan LeOmanut in Ein Harod. He died in 2007.