Abdul Mati Klarwein (Shannon)

Abdul Mati Klarwein was a Jewish painter that was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1932. In the beginning years of his life his family fled to the British Mandate of Palestine after the rise of Nazi Germany. He later found homes in France, Tibet, India, Bali, North Africa, Turkey, Europe and the Americas. Traveling was a large part of Klarwein's upbringing, thus he was privileged to study under a range of artists including Fernand Léger with whom he apprenticed for after attending the École des Beaux-Arts. The subject matter of Klarwein's works are generally related to pop culture and reference Western deities, symbolism and landscapes while giving off a surreal type feel. Though the color scheme involved in many of his paintings are very naturalistic tones, they are utilized in such a way that his images come off as surreal. His well-known works include Santana's cover for Abraxas and Miles Davis' Bitches Brew. However, he is still best-known for his artworks created in the 1960's and 1970's. Popular for his use of psychedelic imagery and religious art from a number of traditions, he died of cancer on March 7, 2002 on the Spanish island of Majorca.