Shai Azoulay

SHAI AZOULAY

Shai Azoulay (b. 1971, Kiryat Shmona) is an Israeli painter based in Jerusalem whose richly narrative oil works blend vibrant figuration with spiritual nuance. He relocated with his family to Arad as a child, served in the IDF, then traveled through Southeast Asia—where, on a Thai beach with sketchbook in hand, he felt the first spark of his artistic path. Azoulay earned a BFA in 2000 and an MFA in 2007 from Jerusalem’s prestigious Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, where he currently teaches in the Fine Art Department.

His paintings, dense with color and populated by human figures and everyday scenes, navigate a space between the naïve and the sophisticated, intimacy and myth. They draw from Jewish tradition—particularly Breslov Hasidism—and a deep connection to the land and memory.

Since his first major solo exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art in 2011, Azoulay has shown internationally—in New York, London, Tokyo, Vienna, Chicago, and Beijing—and in leading Israeli venues like Herzliya Museum (2018) and Yad Vashem (2024).

Over the years he has received numerous accolades, including the Tel Aviv Museum “Morasha” Award, the Mozes Prize (2007), the Ministry of Culture’s Creative Encouragement and Culture Awards, and the prestigious Israeli Lottery Landau Prize in 2020. Azoulay continues to teach, paint, and build cultural bridges through his compassionate storytelling practice.