Boaz Vaadia (Israeli-American, 1951–2017)
Israeli-born artist Boaz Vaadia gained worldwide acclaim for his humanoid sculptures composed of layered stacks of stone. In 1975, after graduating from Tel Aviv’s Avni Institute of Art and Design, where he also taught from 1972 to 1974, Vaadia moved to New York to continue his studies at Pratt Institute. To create his early works, Vaadia trawled New York streets for materials, grabbing slate, shingles, bluestone, and boulders from construction sites. He has said that the city’s energy and architecture has inspired his practice. Vaadia’s work can be found in public parks and in front of businesses worldwide, as well as in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Bass, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. The artist lived and worked in New York City until his death in 2017.
