The story behind the art

ABOUT MICHAEL GAVRIELI

Art was not part of Michael Gavrieli’s world until an unexpected encounter changed the direction of his life.

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1982 and raised in the High Tatras in a family with no connection to the arts, Michael grew up in a home without a single artwork on its walls. At eighteen, after becoming increasingly distant from his family’s way of life and determined to move beyond its negative influence, he left home and moved to Prague in search of a different future.

Michael eventually achieved financial success and built a successful business at a young age, long before he became an artist. That success opened the door to new experiences and to a world that had once seemed far removed from his life.

Through playing tennis, he met a passionate art collector who owned a collection of more than 300 paintings. Their close friendship opened a world few people ever see. Surrounded by extraordinary artworks, Michael experienced the emotional power of art and became fascinated by a simple but profound idea: great art can outlast generations, preserving a vision long after its creator is gone.

The experience sparked a quiet but persistent vision—to create works unlike anything he had ever seen. 

Years later, that inner pull led him to discover encaustic art, one of the oldest painting techniques in history. Using coloured natural beeswax as its medium, encaustic offered a depth, texture and expressive character unlike anything he had encountered before. From the very first experience, he fell in love with it.

With no formal art education or training, Michael devoted himself to understanding and mastering the medium. Its history, permanence, texture and endless expressive possibilities opened a new world to him. What began as curiosity soon became an obsession.

Yet he continued searching for something that could connect the ancient world with his contemporary vision. As he studied the history of encaustic art, he became increasingly drawn to the civilizations that had used it.

After a vivid dream about ancient Egypt, filled with remarkable gold objects and ornaments, he found what felt like the missing piece of his vision. Their use of gold as a symbol of permanence, power and timeless value sparked a new inspiration. The idea emerged naturally: what if this ancient encaustic technique could be united with authentic gold or silver to create something entirely new?

What followed were years of experimentation, sacrifice and relentless dedication as he explored how authentic 24-karat gold could be combined with the ancient encaustic process. Turning that vision into reality proved to be a complex and costly journey.

The path was far from straightforward. Michael experimented with different materials and processes, facing repeated setbacks and moments of doubt. There were times when he questioned whether his vision would ever become reality, yet he refused to abandon it.

In 2018, after years of persistence, experimentation and sacrifice, his vision finally became reality. Michael created his first encaustic artwork using authentic 24-karat gold, that had never been used in artwork acourding to reasearch. This marked the beginning of his signature style—a rare body of work in which precious metal and ancient craftsmanship meet a contemporary artistic interpretation.

That journey ultimately led to the creation of the world’s most highly valued artwork created in the encaustic technique, a work embodying years of research, experimentation and refinement.

“All I had was vision, passion, and the determination to never give up.”

Over the years, Michael’s works have been presented in destinations including Monaco, Barcelona, Austria and Luxembourg, as well as at numerous private and VIP events across Europe. His presentations have been connected to the Yacht Club de Monaco, the Superyacht Show in Barcelona and luxury settings along the French Riviera, including collaborations with brands such as Kempinski and Boutsen Design Monaco.

Through private presentations from his studio in Central Europe, Michael has placed more than eighty original works in private collections across Europe and Monaco. His collectors include entrepreneurs, prominent business leaders and high-net-worth individuals who value rarity, craftsmanship and originality. Among them are some of Central Europe’s most successful private collectors, including one of the Czech Republic’s wealthiest businesswomen.

Today, Michael Gavrieli’s works are held in private collections across Europe and Monaco. Each piece is the result of years of experimentation, craftsmanship and an uncompromising dedication to a single vision. Bringing together one of the world’s oldest painting techniques and authentic precious materials, his works are created for those who have seen much and still search for something they have never encountered before.

For the collector, a Gavrieli artwork represents more than ownership. It is an opportunity to become the custodian of a vision shaped by years of courage, persistence and innovation.

Michael’s art was created not to follow trends, but to stand apart from them. His journey continues, but each new work remains guided by the same principle: not to imitate the past, but to create something that did not exist before—art born from vision, not imitation.

Because true luxury is not having what everyone wants. It is owning what almost no one else will ever have.