David Gerstein: The Israeli Artist Whose Sculptures Stand Worldwide

What happens when a boy from modest beginnings in the 1950s insists on making art his own way — and becomes one of his generation's most recognizable artist? David Gerstein's brightly colored sculptures stand in cities around the world. For decades, much of the art establishment didn't quite know what to make of him. He kept painting, kept sculpting, kept creating anyway.  Now in his late seventies, with nothing left to prove, Gerstein speaks openly about his life, his work, and what he's come to see as real artistic freedom.  This is less a typical art interview than a candid reflection from an artist looking back on a long, singular career.

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Transcript

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GUEST (David) (17:38):

Exactly.  Larger galleries started to Google me and became interested.  A lot of people started to discover me through these small ambassadors. 

HOST (Jennifer) (17:51):

In addition to being a brilliant artist, you're a master marketeer. You see things that people don't.

GUEST (David) (17:57):

I was young and I was penniless. I wasn't able to do what I want. But later on, when I was a little more established, I could do anything I wanted. I say, what I feel like doing, I will do, and nobody will stop me. You see, I would go against the streets. Even when I started. And my art wasn't very popular. I insisted on doing what I want. And all the life I did was my way of doing things. I feel it is the right thing. I will do it no matter what, that's the way I live my life. 

HOST (Jennifer) (18:28):

You've lived your life from the early days.

GUEST (David) (18:30):

And now I must tell you. I'm doing a lot of works around the world -- in this multilayer artwork. I feel like going back to when I started to do my figurative painting because I feel now in my 70’s feel that I left something.   I’m not finished.  Now I continue my sculpture and my exhibition. But in my studio, I dedicate a lot of time to continue what I left behind 40 years ago with my painting. So I'm doing a lot of painting now. They're not being shown yet.

HOST (Jennifer) (19:03):

What do you think is missing in your life David?

GUEST (David) (19:05):

Sculpture or the way I develop my sculpture, there is a kind of limitation.  This doesn’t exist with painting. Painting has no limitation. You can do any idea. And when I do sculpture, I have to stand before the limitation. So I feel like this is spontaneous work that you stand before, an empty canvas, and you create something within a few hours that doesn't exist in sculpture.  In sculpture it’s different. You have to plan it before. It's almost like architecture. You have to plan it and you have to use a factory to help you produce it. 

HOST (Jennifer) (19:42):

At 76, you're in a race to keep sharing. What's left inside? 

GUEST (David) (19:49):

I will tell you.  When you are in your seventies, you can see the limitation of age. You say, well, I, I didn't say everything I wanted yet.  I feel like I want to say things before its end, you know before I became senile.  So I have the urge to do more and more. I've been doing large-scale sculptures around the world, but I want to leave behind more things that feel haven't been completed. 

HOST (Jennifer) (20:17):

What inspires you David?

GUEST (David) (20:19):

It's very hard to inspire creativity, but life is a source of inspiration. And if you ask yourself, is art completed itself? I mean, there's a place for art in the world. Yes. It's endless, you know, the ideas itself are an inspiration.

HOST (Jennifer) (20:37):

Somebody asked you how long did it take to make this metal sculpture? And your reply was 40 years.

GUEST (David) (20:44):

It's true. Time is so limited.

HOST (Jennifer) (20:48):

Thank you for joining us this week on Finding Inspiration. Hey, I would appreciate it. If you would click on that subscribe button and share this podcast with a friend, see you next week. I'm Jennifer Weissmann.