Menashe Kadishman was born in Tel Aviv (in Mandate Palestine) in 1932. His father died when he was 15 years old and he left school to help his mother and provide for the family. He worked as a shepherd and spent most of his time outdoors, a theme that comes through in many of his works. 

From 1947 to 1950, Kadishman studied with the Israeli sculptor Moshe Sternschuss at the Avni Institute of Art and Design in Tel Aviv, and in 1954 with the Israeli sculptor Rudi Lehmann in Jerusalem.

In 1959, he moved to London, where he attended Saint Martin’s School of Art and the Slade School of Art. His first one-man show was at the Grosvenor Gallery in 1965.

He returned to Israel in 1972 and in 1978, was chosen to represent Israel at the Venice Biennale, where he presented a herd of painted sheep while he himself served as their shepherd. In the following years, the sheep motif developed in his work. They began to appear in most of his works and even became his trademark. 

In 1982, the First Lebanon War broke out and his son was drafted into the army. At this point Kadishman began to paint and sculpt the story of the Binding of Isaac. He also drew themes of death and heroism. 

In 1988, Kadishman began creating a new theme, birth. This theme has different variations in a series of hundreds of sculptures and paintings. The theme of birth evolved from the Binding theme. The birth symbolizes the giving and taking of life. 

Kadishman is one of the most important artists in the Israeli art scene, and has also achieved great international success. He presented numerous solo and group exhibitions in Israel and around the world and his works are in some of the most important art collections in Israel and around the world.