David (Dudu) Gerstein (Hebrew: דוד (דודו) גרשטיין) (born November 14, 1944) is an Israeli painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker.

He began cutting out the main subjects of each painting and, to cancel the background,[5] creating unique and iconic cutout images, free-standing in space, without the standard and traditional square frame.

Following the path of Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann, and David Hockney, Gerstein similarly aimed at creating his personal post-pop art style, and left behind the monochromatic palette of oil and watercolors and used instead vibrant, design-oriented colors.

This led him to create many more large-scale outdoor sculptures in England, France, Sweden, Italy, China, South Korea, and other countries.

Upon completion of his military service, David applied to the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, where he met teacher Avraham Ofek,[3] who had a marked influence on Gerstein's style.

At first, he taught drawing and then became a faculty member of the Department of Jewelry Design, which was then undergoing a process of renewal; evolving from the outmoded, traditional style of "Bezalel" to introducing innovative concepts influenced by modern art.

[3] Gerstein's first exhibition in Israel was held in 1971 at the Engel Gallery in Jerusalem, comprising figurative drawings and watercolors.

[14] Thereafter, he exhibited at Jerusalem's Artist's House in 1972 with large oil paintings dealing with interiors and the seaside, work that received enthusiastic reviews.

[15] Another inspiration at the time was the painter George Gross, to whom he felt an affinity and who also dealt with what Gerstein termed "the human comedy".

In addition, he was influenced by David Hockney, Fernando Botero and José Luis Cuevas, who all dealt with the human experience and people' interactions.

[3] In the 1970s, Gerstein explored the integration of personal themes alongside figurative painting, particularly in his watercolors and gouache on paper.

These were works stemming from nostalgia and longing to his childhood memories of Tel Aviv balconies with peeling plaster, and the day-to-day modest life of working-class middle-aged couples, as he recalled from his parents' friends.

While involved with these motifs Gerstein wanted "to escape the Israeli political reality to an Olympian turbulent-free, tranquility".

Another series of paintings included the landscape of the Ein Kerem neighborhood, where the artist lived at the time, used as a backdrop for compositions abundant with interacting figures in groups and couples.Gerstein's aim to portray the daily experience of Israeli life came to fruition in the 1980s.

Gerstein figuratively describes chapters from the Israeli experience, derived, among others, from childhood memories in Tel Aviv.

[6] This series was based on Gerstein's memories of his parents' generation of "little Tel Aviv"; people whom he regarded with wonder and humor.

The origins of this series can be found in Gerstein's watercolors and gouache on paper from the '70s, parts of which were adapted to canvas oil paintings.

In the '80s, Gerstein developed this into another series of paintings, those of bathers in the Dead Sea, about which Avraham Eilat wrote,"the residents of the balconies have gone down to the Dead Sea where they lie about on the shore, covered in mud, exposing their pinkish bodies to the mercy of the sun's rays and the salt and get slowly fried".

[16] Despite the positive response his paintings evoked, both from the critics and the art world, Gerstein felt the need to renew, find new directions and expand his artistic boundaries.

The works were of aluminum and wood, and the subject matter was a continuation of that of the 1970s: his mother riding a bicycle, cats, flower vases and various still-life elements.

In the following years, Gerstein showed at two main galleries, Sara Gilat and Ruth Debel, with work reflecting the artist's continued "search" for a new language integrating painting and three-dimensionality.

The exhibit in 1987 was presented under the heading, "From Dudu to 3-D", comprising sculptures that were "colorful, cheerful, amusing and reminiscent of toys or paper cutouts".

While continuing to develop his sculpture in the '90s, Gerstein returned to painting in the style that constituted a direct link to the balconies and the Dead Sea series, depicted in the '70s and '80s.

The series of automobiles created during this period presents people traveling in a car from the perspective of the spectator "peeping" in at the passengers through the front windshield.

Suddenly, fifteen years later, I finally found the perfect way to create a three dimensional painting, floating above the wall, breathing, living.

Outside of Israel, Gerstein is known for his large-scale colorful sculptures, including Roman Warrior is in Bromford, London.

Another guiding principle in Gerstein's work is leaving the boundaries of the gallery: "I want to break the unnatural division between the museum and the street."