Calman Shemi was born in Argentina in 1939 and graduated from the school of Sculpture and Ceramics in Mendoza, where he was a student of the noted sculpture Rudi Lehman. In 1961, Mr. Shemi settled in Israel and joined Kibbutz Carmia.

Shemi has acknowledged many influences in his art and his life; the dramatic colors of his childhood in Argentina, the sun-baked landscape of his home in Israel, the sensuous colorism of Matisse, the philosophies of his art teachers, and even the ritualistic symbols of the ancient past. His working method, which relies on the assistance of skilled artisans to execute much of the technical part of producing his works, affirms Shemi's strong commitment to the communal ethic rooted in his experience on the Kibbutz.