Beschreibung:

Klarwein, Mati 1932-2002 Israeli/German/French, Figure with Mati's Children. 20 x 20 ins., (51 x 51 cms.), Oil on Board, Signed Abdul Mati. Mati was a very interesting character with a very diverse approach to life. He was born in Hamburg, his father was an architect with the Bauhaus movement and his mother an opera singer. The family moved to Palestine with the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. In 1948 after the establishment iof Israel, he moved to Paris to study with Leger and at the Beaux Arts. In 1951 he was concerned enough by the fighting between then Jews and Palestinians to add Abdul (Servant in Arabic) to his name claiming every Jew should have an Arabic name to lessen hostility. He moved to America where he mixed with many famous musicians and started producing covers for their records. The magazine Juxtapoz wrote, 'The man literally responsible for every great, legendary record cover you've seen-if he didn't do it, he inspired it.' The vendor of this painting knew him well and described Mati as a very cultured person, gregarious and good with rich people. He had a high social life when in New York. Mati was very unassuming and would never talk about his work. He was very attractive to and attracted by women. In this picture the two figures are his children from his second wife, Catherine Millinaine, daughter of the Duke of Bedford. The vendor acquired the work from a mutual friend, Barry Hall, after his death. Barry, Mati and the vendor were good friends. Mati lived the sixties lifestyle of drugs etc. in Santa Fe, but never seemed out of control, he always played safe. The vendor and Mati shared a lover for a while.