Haim Azuz Sculptures Safed

{{Infobox
|title = Haim Azuz Gallery
|image        = [[File:Space holder.jpg|215px|alt=Haim Azuz Gallery]]
|header1 = Hebrew:
|data2  = גלריה חיים אזוז
|header3 = Pronunciation:
|data4  = Ch-ai’im A-zuz 
|header5 = Other Names:
|data6   = Chaim Azuz Gallery
|header7 = Description:
|data8   = Sculptor and veteran member of Safed’s Artist Quarter, past chairman of Tzfat’s Artists Quarter Association.}}

Visitors who arrive in Tzfat can walk a few meters into the [[Artists Quarter Safed|Artist Quarter]] to view the clean lines and rhythmic forms of Chaim Azuz’s bronze sculptures.

== Biography ==
Haim Azuz was born and raised in Turkey where he began to sculpt. He taught himself the basics of sculpting and then moved to Tzfat to study under the tutelage of the well-known [[Safed]] sculptor Moshe Ziffer. Ziffer was a resident of Tzfat’s Artist Quarter and Azuz established his own gallery near the [[Ziffer Sculpture Garden Safed|Ziffer gallery and garden]] on Tet Vav Street. Azuz has lived and worked at his gallery in Tzfat since the ‘70s. He served as chairman of the Artists Association of Safed from 2003 through 2010.

== Style ==
Azuz works in bronze and, less often, in aluminum. He finishes all bronze castings himself, either with patinas or, for his figure pieces, a high polish. Many of his sculptures are body forms which often seem to meld within themselves or with the form of a chair or chaise lounge that Azuz often includes as part of his pieces. Many of Azuz’s works are abstract with rhythmic curves which roll a body into a ball-like form. Azuz creates stylized statues, often with sweeping forms and silhouettes. He sculpts these forms as slender forms or “raises” them.

== Exhibitions ==
Azuz’s has a permanent exhibit on Tet Vav Street in the Artists Quarter, across the street from the Ma’ayan HaRadum public square. Many of his works are also on display throughout Tzfat including "The Flower" which  sits outside the [[Beit-Yigal-Alon-Safed|Beit Yigal Alon cultural center]] and two pieces, “Adam and Eve” and the “Burning Bush”, both of which grace the courtyard of the General Artists' Exhibition of Tzfat.  

== Themes ==
Although Azuz’s General Exhibition sculptures have a Biblical theme, most of his work explores other themes including human emotions, animal forms and the human body. He sculpts both male and female figures which express graceful and fluid body movements.

== Notable Works ==
Some of Azuz’s more notable works include The Diver, The Ballerina, The Cactus, The Fisherman and several versions of The Torso. Azuz’s gallery also includes his paintings which are oils on canvas. Azuz’s works are exhibited throughout the world including the United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, South Africa in a number of European countries.

[[Category:Safed]]
[[Category:Jewish Art]]