Laila Schwartz

Laila Schwartz (; born 13 July 1949) is an Israeli artist, curator, author and film director who uses her body as the medium for performance art and visual art.

Biography Birth and childhood Schwartz was born on 13 July 1949 as "Lucy Levi" in Cairo, Egypt to Rachel Schwartz, of Jewish Ashkenazi descent, and Bernard Levy, of Jewish Sephardic descent, originally from Lebanon. Her mother came from a wealthy family who owned a printing business as well as a wholesale firm which focused on liquor. Schwartz's father worked as a delivery boy for her mother's family business and the two fell in love and married against the will of the family. Due to that, they emigrated to Egypt, where Schwartz was born.

When Schwartz was 4 months old, she and her mother immigrated to Israel while her father stayed back in Egypt and was due to join them after sorting the family's affairs. However, during this time her father converted to Islam, vanished, and was never seen again. Upon returning to Israel Schwartz counselled youths at Beit Berl College.

First steps in the Israeli art world Becoming a nude model Schwartz first started modeling for artists in 1966 after a neighbour asked her to model in the nude for an art class in the kibbutz. Soon after her mother's death, she began working as a nude model for various artists, painters, sculptors and photographers. She once stated that ahe was drawn to the art world, and used nudity as a medium for expression as well as improving her self body image, although she later stated the decision as being driven by the need to escape debt.

In 2003, Schwartz published a book, "55 Laila and Laila", a play on the meaning of her name, being "Black Night", and the Hebrew name for One Thousand and One Nights. In the book she curated 55 works where her body is the subject of the work. In 2007 Schwartz was featured, among other artists, in the television program "Sipur Misgeret", which aimed to "map, categorize and tell the story of a 100 years of Israeli art". Schwartz claimed that the production company omitted her name, and only her name, from promotions of the program prior to broadcast. Schwartz threatened to request an injunction against the production company, as she agreed to be filmed in the nude after she was pressured to do so, and her rights as an artist were impaired.

Celebrating the fifth decade of her artistic career, Schwartz decided to donate her large artistic collection, collected over the years from artists whom she modeled for in lieu of payment. Schwartz published an ad in national newspapers and eventually donated her collection to Tel-Hai Academic College, which set up a permanent exhibit called "Laila".

Exhibits containing works which featured Schwartz's image 1983 - Mapo Gallery owned by Israel Gerciany, curated by Laila Schwartz. 1983-1984 - Black Exhibit, Dizengoff Center, curated by Ziva Ron. 1984 - Tel Aviv, Israel Painters and Sculptors Association, curated by Laila Schwartz. 1991 - Bonn Women's Museum, curated by Laila Schwartz. 2003 - Kalisher Gallery for Contemporary Art, curated by Laila Schwartz.

Activism Schwartz is vocal about being a resident in finanacial assisted public housing in Ramat Aviv, an affluent neighbourhood in Tel Aviv. According to her, she has been an activist for public housing, tenants' rights and elderly rights since 2010.

In the media Schwartz credited the Israeli media for much of her success and survival despite her poor upbringing. In her book she dedicated a chapter to media coverage she received titled "I was not abandoned". Schwartz first appeared in the media in a local newspaper in Haifa in 1967.

Personal life During the 1980s she had a fling with Israeli poet Nathan Zach, although she stated that she might be asexual. She resides in Tel Aviv.

Filmography "Uri Talking About Uri" (2004) - a documentary depicting the life and creation of the painter Ori Reisman.