In 1934, after undertaking his formal artistic training in Brussels and later Milan, Maurice Ascalon immigrated to the land of Israel (then the British Mandate of Palestine).In 1939, Maurice Ascalon designed and created the enormous 14-foot-tall (4.3 m) hammered repoussé copper relief sculpture of three figures, "The Tiller of the Soil, the Laborer and the Scholar", which adorned the façade of the Jewish Palestine Pavilion of the 1939 New York World's Fair.Ascalon was commissioned to create this work for the historically significant Pavilion which introduced the world to the concept of a modern Jewish state.Maurice Ascalon's designs, some art deco, others more traditional, introduced the use of a chemically induced green patina (verdigris) to Israeli metalwork.Maurice Ascalon's commissions include permanent installations at worship and public spaces throughout the United States, Mexico, and Israel.
Maurice Ascalon's "The Scholar, The Laborer, and The Toiler of the Soil" copper relief sculpture. Adorned the façade of the
Jewish Palestine Pavilion
of the 1939 New York World's Fair