Boris Dubrov

painter & sculptor

Boris Dubrov was born and studied art in Leningrad (St. Petersburg), and left for Israel in the age of 18 years. Much of his artistic growth rooted from years of military service in the Israel Defense Forces, close to the war and to the death. Boris began learning Torah when in the army and later got fascinated with the modern Hasidim culture of Israel which preserved the ways of the lost world of shtetl, pre-war Jewish communities in East Europe. This nostalgia became the subject of many realistic works created within more than ten years in an environment where ages-old national traditions have been part of everyday life.

The gradual turn to Kabbalah has brought symbolism to Dubrov's painting: mysticism interwoven with allegoric undertones of Torah. Deep philosophy of the Cabbalistic texts has plunged him into new knowledge and provided a different perspective on the old biblical stories. That was the origin of cabbalistic realism, a new line in the modern art.

The first personal exhibition of Boris's works in this style, «Mysteries of Merkava», took place in 2010 in the Art Gallery of Beit Sokolov (House of Journalists) in Tel Aviv. Miri Krimilovski, an art expert, inaugurated the exhibition saying: «Complex paintings by Boris Durbov emerge from the complexity of the Kabbalah world. His world is built of symbols, while the true meaning of his works remains behind the canvas and has multiple levels and senses. The exhibition that presents his new thinking gives an idea of the spiritual world in its interactions with the material reality. Although the Kabbalism is growing ever more popular, this is its first reflection in painting».

Currently the works by Boris Dubrov belong to many private collections in Israel, USA, France, Great Britain, Panama, Jamaica, Russia and Ukraine.

2016 – personal exhibition «Harmony of the War», Ashdod, Israel
2013 – winner of Spectrum-13 (The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art)
2010 – personal exhibition «Mysteries of Merkava», Beit Sokolov, Tel Aviv, Israel
2006 – personal exhibition «Shtetl», Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
2005 – personal exhibition «Whole Me», Beit Arye Clang, Ashdod, Israel
2005 – participant, international exhibition «Salon des Artistes Français», Paris, France
2005 – participant, international exhibition «Judaica Art», New York, USA
2004 – participant, exhibition «Modern Surrealism», Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
2002 – prize winner, «Young Painters», contest of Israel, Tel Aviv