Silva Zalmanson, b. 1944, oil on canvas, 20 by 30 cm, signed, 2022

Silva Zalmanson, b. 1944, oil on canvas, 20 by 30 cm, signed, 2022
Today Sylva Zalmanson lives in Israel and was recently honored as part of Jerusalem Post Russian-Speaking Jews who shaped Israel in Zionism.

In the 1970's she made headlines as a Soviet refusenik, a Prisoner of Zion, whose unwavering courage and dignity, even while in captivity, made her a symbol of freedom and faith.

Born in 1944, Sylva grew up in a Zionist family in Riga, Latvia, then part of the USSR. At the age of 25, in 1970, after being refused twice for permission to leave the USSR, Sylva was arrested together with her then-new husband Edward Kuznetsov, her two brothers and 12 other Zionist activists, by the KGB, in an attempt to escape from the USSR, bound for Israel. The affair is also known as "The First Leningrad Trial" or "Operation Wedding"; a code name for a plan that was to take an empty plane and fly beyond the borders of the USSR. 

Young, fearless, and the only woman on trial, Sylva declared: "Even here, in the trial, I still believe that one day I will make it to Israel. Next year in Jerusalem!"

Sylva's sentence was 10 years in prison in a labor camp, but thanks to world pressure, and a secret exchange deal with a Soviet spy, Sylva was released after 4 years in prison and made Aliyah in 1974.

Sylva Zalmanson began painting in 1992 alongside her work as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry.

In 1997, Sylva was accepted as a member of the Society of Painters and Sculptors.

Zalmanson participated in many exhibitions in Israel and abroad; she presented about 35 solo exhibitions and many more group exhibitions in Israel and around the world. She participated in television programs, radio and was interviewed in the press.

Sylva's works have been purchased for private collections in Israel, USA, Great Britain, France, Finland, Russia and Latvia.
Highlight exhibitions:

2007 - Florence, Italy Biennale International Exhibition

2012 - Paris, France Gallerie Mémoire de L'Avenir

2006 - Alexandra Palace, London, England - The Great Art Fair

2016 -Jerusalem Theater', Jerusalem, Israel - 'Living Soul'

2017 - Karmiel Dance Festival, Karmiel Cultural Center, Israel - 'Brush, Lens & Dance' 

2007 - Brukenthal National Museum, Sibiu, Romania - Israeli Artists In European Capital Of Culture

2000 - Riverdale, NY Y-center, USA

2002 – Soho, NYC, USA “Agora” Gallery

1999 - Brooklyn, NY, USA “Fine Art Association“

2012 - W Tower, Tel Aviv - 'Latin mood'

2009 - Artcore Gallery, Jaffa, Israel - 'Flamenco's soul'

2008 - Beit Aba Hushi, Haifa, Israel - 'Movimiento'

2008 - Gerard Bechar, theater center Jerusalem, Israel - 'Femina'

Размеры:

30 x 20 см