David Sharir

David Sharir (1938-2025)

Born in Tel Aviv, Sharir has been involved in plastic art and music from a young age. As a high school student, he took a summer course in Israel Paldi’s studio and studied in Avni Institute of Art and Design. He then went on to study painting with Yohanan Simon. After his military service, he moved to Italy in 1964 and studied at the Florence Academy of Art and architecture at the University of Rome.
Throughout the years, Sharir held many solo exhibitions in Israel and abroad. His first solo exhibition was held at the Tel Aviv Artists House, when he was only 19. During his stay in Italy, he held two solo exhibitions at the Antea and Old Silver galleries in Rome. He also exhibited his works in Rina and Safrai galleries in Jerusalem, Rubin Museum in Tel Aviv, and in Pucker Gallery, Boston, which continues to represent him to this day. His works are on permanent display at Tel Aviv University and the city’s Migdal Shalom Tower.

Sharir designed sets and costumes for plays, dances, musicals, ballets and operas in Israel and abroad, including Exit the King (1963) and Peer Gynt (1971) for Habima; Queen Esther (1966) for Cameri Theater; My Sister Bride (1969) for Inbal Dance Company; Hansel and Gretel (1978) for the Boston Conservatory Opera; Dido and Aeneas (1985) for the New Israeli Opera; and The Rite of Spring (1977) for the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Sharir worked with Batsheva in several dances, including set design for Jephtah’s Daughter (1965); set and costume design for Taltela (1974); and set design for Monodrama (1975) and Memories (1976).
Sharir taught stage design at the Tel Aviv University Department of Theater and set design at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design and Holon Institute of Technology (HIT). He was one of the founders of the College of Management’s Interior Design Program. Since 2003, Sharir served as the artistic advisor and curator of the Shalom Tower Gallery.