Avni was one of the most prominent Israeli artists, whose artistic way was a constant struggle for picturesque values. He was a member of the generation of Israeli painters who founded the artistic movement in Israel. Born in Yakatarynoslav to an Engineer and a Zionist father. In his youth he attended the 'Heder' and the 'Yeshiva'. From 1923-1925 he attended the Academy of Art in Moscow. He immigrated to Israel in 1925 and studied in Bezalel until 1928. His first exhibition was with the group of young artists called 'Messed'. In 1930 he moved to Paris for two years. On returning to Israel he worked as a program designer in Jaffe municipality and a math teacher in kibbutz Givat Hashlosha. In 1934 He exhibited in BezalelMuseum with Stematsky and Levanon. In 1935 he toured Europe and won the Dizengoff Prize in 1936. In the same year he opened an art studio on behalf of the cultural board of the labor. Within his students were Ziona Tagger and Nachum Gutman. In the following years he continued touring and exhibiting in Europe. In Avni's paintings there is a flavor of the Jewish heritage and culture. His Oeuvre is filled with a mystical atmosphere of the ideals and struggles of the Israeli pioneers. In his colorful palette and a wide range of pictorial subjects he was able to combine the Israeli everyday life with his most inner experiences.(100 Artists in Israel by Gbriel Talphir, 1971, Tel-Aviv, Gazith Art Pub. P.60).
