Painter and printmaker Moshe Gat was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1935. In 1952, he began to study at Bezalel School of Art. In 1958-1960, he went to Mexico, where he was influenced by Mexican figurative painting. He studied graphic techniques such as colored woodblock printing, copper engraving and lithography. Initially, he taught art and math at schools run by the Mexican Jewish community. Gradually he built up his career as an artist, mounting several solo shows during this period. In the early 1960s, he moved to the United States. In 1962, he returned to Haifa. At the end of the 1960s, he moved to Old Jaffa.

Gat's early work exemplified the social realism of the 1950s. Many of his paintings were of laborers and other members of the working-class. In "Seamstresses" (1954), for example, Gat's realistic portrayal is imbued with political overtones. In the 1960s, he did many ink drawings and etchings of children and folkloristic characters.

Education

1952 Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, Jerusalem
1957 Mexico
1958 Paris, Italy

Teaching

1963 Bezalel Academy of Art & Design, Teacher

Awards And Prizes

1957 Education Scholarship for Studies Abroad, Norman Foundation
1967 Scholarship, The Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France

(Biography from the Information Center for Israeli Art)