Israeli Multidisciplinary Artist and Author Tami Bezaleli Dies at 73
Tami Bezaleli, a prominent multidisciplinary artist and author in Israel, passed away on Monday morning at the age of 73 after a brief battle with cancer. Over her decades-long career, she worked as a painter, sculptor, illustrator, writer, and lecturer, blending artistic creation with extensive educational work. Bezaleli is survived by her wife, two children, and two grandchildren.
Born in Haifa in 1953 and raised in Jerusalem, Bezaleli studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design but left after one year to pursue drawing and sculpture independently. She began teaching in the 1980s and from 2000 to 2020 taught at Bezalel, mentoring generations of students. Alongside her teaching, she published prose books, articles on art and culture, illustrated numerous children’s books, designed book covers, and authored two novels, "Tisha'ari" and "Ho-Mama." Her 2023 novel "Ho-Mama" was shortlisted for the Sapir Prize.
Bezaleli’s work combined painting, sculpture, drawing, and text, exploring themes of memory, identity, body, and place. Her art is held in public and private collections in Israel and abroad, and she was regarded as one of the most influential creators in the local art scene over recent decades. In recent years, she appeared on television with her partner Sarah Gross in the second season of the documentary reality show "Starting from Zero" on Kan, presenting their life as a married same-sex couple. Bezaleli shared in a Ynet interview that at age 56 she embraced living with a woman for the first time, following previous long heterosexual marriages. Gross noted their participation aimed to show that loving same-sex relationships are possible at an older age.
Bezaleli’s death marks the loss of a significant figure in Israeli art and literature who combined creative innovation with educational dedication and personal courage.
