David Kracov

Kracov was born in 1968 in Boston, Massachusetts. At the age of 12, after winning first place in an art competition, he became one of the youngest artists ever to be showcased in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. After receiving a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design, Kracov moved to Los Angeles in order to pursue a career in animation.

David began as an animator on Ralph Bakshi's Cool World (1992), where he quickly became Head of Special Effects. After production ended, David went on to work with Disney Animation, Don Bluth Animation, Rich Animation, as well as other renown studios, working on such features as Troll in Central Park, The Swan Princess, and more. During this time, David also worked for famous Special Effects studios, creating visual effects for successful feature films.

During his time as an animator, having no formal training in sculpture, David began to experiment with different types of clay, and started sculpting the characters from those films he animated. He was then approached by Warner Bros. Studios, and commissioned to create a limited edition chess set, titled "Looney Trails", for the Warner Bros. Studio Galleries. All 50 sets, which required over seven months to complete, sold out within two days of their release. Following his initial success, Kracov continued working with the Warner Bros. studios, becoming the exclusive licensed sculptor for all Warner Bros. characters. During that time David was contacted by Disney Studios to create sculptures of individual characters as well as chess sets for their stores, galleries, and theme parks.

Kracov started experimenting with steel, using a technique previously pioneered by fellow Israeli artist Dudu (David) Gerstein. Like Gerstein, Kracov created steel wall sculptures, all hand-cut from a single sheet of steel and painted using a vibrant color palette. Kracov also experimented with paper cutting, tracing back to ancient far-east techniques known to be extremely delicate and accurate. As a tribute to Pavel Friedmann's poem 'The Butterfly', David includes at least one butterfly in most of the sculptures he creates. Kracov was commissioned by The Coca-Cola Company to create a butterfly-themed metal wall-sculpture titled "Open Happiness", for the company's 125th Anniversary. He now has 2 sculptures exhibited in the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta and at the entrance of the Coca-Cola headquarters in France.

Over the years Kracov has gained notable success and followers; his art is present in exclusive galleries all over the world, particularly in Asia, Europe and North America, and displayed in many central locations and luxury hotels, such as the Plaza Athenee in Paris. Kracov is also very popular among famous private art collectors around the world. His works can be found in the personal collections of renowned businessmen as well as Hollywood entertainers such as Steven Spielberg, Matt Damon, Liev Schreiber, Whoopi Goldberg, and Michael Douglas who gave the Book of Life sculpture to his father Kirk Douglas as a gift.

Framed paper-cut sculptures in vibrant colors. Significant works: • "LOVE FLUTTER BY" • "FOLLOW YOUR HEART" • "POP ART"

One of Kracov's most familiar works - an exclusive limited edition series of clever out of the box sculptures, made of hand-painted crushed marble, with layers of color reproduction backgrounds, signed by the artist. Significant works: • "I CLAIM THIS PLANET" • "DUCK TAPE" • "ELMER'S GLUE" In addition to his series, Kracov had also released some monochrome versions of his works, such as: • "MY HEART IS ALL A FLUTTER" • "HOMAGE TO JACKSON POLLOCK"

• Year — City • 2015 — Paris, Monaco, St. Tropez, NYC. • 2014 — New York, Lyon, Berlin, Paris, Geneva, Forte Dei Marmi, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Saint Tropez, Hamburg, Palma de Mallorca, San Francisco, Verbier, Munich, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Istanbul, Nuenen, Bordeaux, Hertfordshire. • 2013 — Geneva, Lyon, New York, Singapore, Konstanz, Düsseldorf, Forte Dei Marmi, Paris, San Francisco, Berlin, Jerusalem, Bordeaux, Istanbul, Nuenen, Saint Tropez, Verbier. • 2012 — San Francisco, Düsseldorf, Lyon, Geneva, Marseille, Saint Tropez, Berlin, Hamm, Tel Aviv, New York • 2011 — Geneva, Saint Tropez, Lyon, Tel Aviv, New York, Jerusalem, Paris, Marseille, Cran Montana. • 2010 — New Delhi, Marseille, Geneva, Lyon, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Chicago, Paris, New York, Saint Remy de Provence, Saint Tropez, Crans Montana. • 2009 — Lyon, Saint Tropez, Marseille, Geneva, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, New Delhi, Chicago, Paris, New York, Saint Remy de Provence. • 2008 — Paris, Geneva, Lyon, Tel Aviv, Saint Tropez, Chicago, Marseille, New York, Jerusalem. • 2007 — Saint Tropez, Lyon, Chicago, New York, Saint Remy de Provence, Geneva, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv. • 2006 — New York, Tel Aviv, Paris, Lyon, Geneva, New Delhi.