Les Saltinbanques

Oil on Canvas

Born in 1936 in Paris, Raya Sorkine is of French-Russian ancestry. This fusion of Semitic and Slavic cultures has provided him with an inexhaustible source of inspiration since he first embarked on his art career. Although Sorkine grew up during the Holocaust, which claimed many of his loved ones, as an artist his work does not reflect despondency. Instead, he paints stories of dreams and love; and his seven marriages explain the recurrent theme of joyous wedding scenes.

Raya’s art is enriched by his travels and his intense study of the Zohar, the Cabala and the Bible all have contributed to the spiritual diversity of his themes. His colors are bright and clear and the paint is heavily applied creating a strong sense of movement by the flowing brushstrokes. Be it a clown, a violinist, a lady, or a newly wed couple, Raya Sorkine never fails to imbue them with joy and mysticism. Audiences throughout Asia, Europe, and America in no less than eighty-four  exhibitions, have celebrated his art.