Both Sides Now

Photographer Raphael Avigdor captures the allure of clouds

Have you ever had a moment where you looked up at the sky and were mesmerized? Captivated by the way each cloud formation morphs and moves and seems to reflect a cosmic consciousness? For photographer Raphael Avigdor this is a daily ritual. “Once you start looking at the clouds the way I do, it can quickly become an obsession,” he warns, “Don’t get addicted.”

This particular addiction results in stunning images. Avigdor’s eye has been honed over the years from an early age. “My mother and sister are artists, and I have been surrounded by colors, patterns and shapes since I was a child. My father also said that my head was in the clouds, and he was very right about that.” Just like he has an ear, having played violin since an early age which developed to an ear that can hear and speak six languages, Avigdor’s eye is also trained, and is always visually framing his world, “I see shots all the time. It calls me. Many people don’t notice it, but I see it clearly.”

An ability to capture the emotive language of clouds is his most recent passion, yet patience in this case is not a virtue as his subject quickly changes from moment to moment. He says, “I think my art is appreciated because I have learned to anticipate how the colors will transform in the short period of time that I’m watching them.” This sixth sense may lead to a delay in an appointment as he pulls off the road to get the shot. His images are available both in fine art photography and as a collection in beautifully bound books, including one inspired by Joni Mitchell’s famous music and lyrics.

Avigdor’s career as an artist has evolved over many years including documentary filmmaking and photography with 14 published collection books. His subjects range from fashion shoots to treks in Nepal, to remote parts of Africa to capture portraits of native cultures to Saharan Neolithic Rock Art. While you may find him on a camel, in the middle of the jungle or on a 4×4 in the desert, you will also find him in multi-million-dollar homes in the Hamptons. As a successful Hamptons and Miami real estate agent, he knows first-hand how stunning photographic art can enhance any space in a house, creating images people want to live with each day.

It was a chance meeting at Pierre’s restaurant in Bridgehampton that led to his relationship with successful London gallerist Rebecca Hossack who clicked with his photography. It was a fit for both art and real estate as he found her a perfect home/gallery in Little Havana East in Miami to buy, which served as a space for his one man show, “Both Sides Now,” an homage to Joni Mitchell, as part of Art Basel 2025.  

Avigdor’s work has been exhibited at the Lawrence Gallery in East Hampton, NY, private exhibitions, The Spectrum Miami Art show, Art Market + Design in Bridgehampton, NY, The Seafair Mega-yacht Art show and at Art Boca Raton. Recently, he was featured in a family group show alongside his mother, a stone sculptor, and sister, a polymer clay artist, at the Castle Fitzjohns Gallery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

In describing his motivation, Avigdor says, “Giving pause to life is a big part of being an artist. The beauty of clouds is that no two clouds are ever alike. You capture a fleeting moment. There’s a joy in watching the artist (aka god) that creates art on a daily basis on a special canvas, and you can take pleasure in capturing that unique moment.” His advice, “Take your time, slow down, pause and appreciate this gift that nature gives us by simply looking up.”