Who Is Sharona Katan? Jonny Greenwood’s Wife, Her Art, and the Radiohead-Israel Story
Sharona Katan is an Israeli-born visual artist best known as the wife of Radiohead guitarist and film composer Jonny Greenwood. Beyond that connection, she has built her own quiet career designing album artwork under the name Shin Katan, and she has occasionally stepped into the public eye over Radiohead’s ties to Israel.
This guide covers everything publicly known about Sharona Katan and Jonny Greenwood’s marriage, her background and art career, their family life, and the controversy that has followed them for years.
Quick Facts: Sharona Katan at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sharona Katan (art credits as “Shin Katan”) |
| Born | May 1971, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Known for | Wife of Jonny Greenwood; visual artist |
| Spouse | Jonny Greenwood (married 1995) |
| Children | Three, including a son, Tamir |
| Profession | Visual artist, album cover designer |
| Residence | Oxford, England, with regular ties to Israel |
Early Life and Background
Sharona Katan was born in Israel in May 1971, into a family with roots stretching across the Middle East and North Africa. Her parents immigrated to Israel in the 1950s, bringing with them a blend of regional Jewish traditions that later shaped her artistic voice. Detailed records of her childhood and education are not widely published, since Katan has never sought media attention on her own terms.
How Sharona Katan and Jonny Greenwood Met
Sharona met Jonny Greenwood in the early 1990s when Radiohead toured and performed in Israel. The two connected over shared creative interests, and their relationship developed away from public view over the following years. Jonny Greenwood and Sharona Katan married in 1995, a period when Radiohead was moving from a promising British guitar band into one of the most influential groups in alternative rock.
Their long relationship is one reason the keyword “jonny greenwood and wife” turns up so often in searches — fans are curious about a marriage that has lasted for decades almost entirely outside the spotlight.
Marriage, Family, and Private Life
Since marrying, Jonny Greenwood and Sharona Katan have kept their family life deliberately low-key. They have three children together, and the couple has split their time between Oxford, England — Radiohead’s home turf — and Israel, where Katan’s family and cultural roots remain strong.
A few patterns stand out in how the couple has managed public life:
- Rare interviews: Katan almost never speaks to the press about her marriage or family.
- No social media presence built around fame: She isn’t positioning herself as a public personality.
- Shared creative world: Her art has appeared alongside Greenwood’s music rather than separate from it.
- Dual-base living: Time split between England and Israel keeps the family connected to both cultures.
Sharona Katan’s Career as a Visual Artist
Working under the name Shin Katan, Sharona has built a career as a visual artist known for cover art and imagery connected to Jonny Greenwood’s solo and soundtrack work. Her style draws on personal, cultural, and emotional themes rather than following commercial trends.
While she isn’t a headline name in the gallery world, her design work has given her a genuine creative identity that exists independently of her husband’s fame — even though most people first discover her name through him.
Radiohead, Israel, and the Controversy Around It
No article about “jonny greenwood and sharona katan” would be complete without addressing the political controversy that has occasionally put the couple in the news.
Radiohead has performed in Israel multiple times over the years, most notably a high-profile 2017 concert in Tel Aviv. That show, and Radiohead’s continued willingness to play in the country, drew sustained pressure from supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, who argue that artists should refuse to perform in Israel as a form of political protest against its treatment of Palestinians.
Frontman Thom Yorke publicly pushed back on the boycott calls at the time, arguing that music and cultural exchange shouldn’t be shut down over politics — a stance that led some critics online to label him, sometimes reductively, as a “zionist” for continuing to play in Israel. Sharona Katan, as an Israeli married into the band’s inner circle, has also been drawn into that debate. She has written publicly in defense of Radiohead’s decision to perform in Israel and has criticized the boycott movement directly, including in an opinion piece for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
It’s worth noting that this is a genuinely contested political issue. BDS supporters see cultural boycotts as a legitimate, nonviolent pressure tactic tied to Palestinian rights; critics of the boycott — including Katan and members of Radiohead — see it as an unfair singling-out of Israeli artists and audiences that punishes ordinary people for their government’s policies. Readers researching “radiohead and israel” or “radiohead israel” will find strong opinions on both sides, and neither position is a simple matter of fact.
Why This Keeps Coming Up in Searches
The searches “radiohead and israel” and “thom yorke zionist” persist for a simple reason: it’s one of the few moments where Radiohead’s usually private members, including Katan, spoke out publicly and personally rather than staying silent on a political issue.
Sharona Katan vs. Other Musicians’ Spouses: How Public Is She?
| Public Figure | Own Public Profile | Media Interviews | Political Statements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharona Katan | Visual artist under pseudonym | Very rare | Yes — defended Israel touring, BDS criticism |
| Typical rock-star spouse | Varies widely | Occasional | Rarely political |
| Fully public celebrity spouse | High (own brand/career) | Frequent | Case by case |
Compared to many well-known partners of musicians, Katan sits closer to the private end of the spectrum — with one notable exception: she has been willing to speak up publicly on the Israel touring controversy when it directly touched her family and community.
Pros and Cons of Sharona Katan’s Low-Profile Approach
Pros:
- Protects her children’s privacy and normal upbringing
- Keeps focus on her art rather than tabloid coverage
- Allows her to choose exactly when and where to speak publicly
Cons:
- Limited public information means some details remain unverified
- Her occasional public statements draw outsized attention precisely because they’re rare
- Fan curiosity fills information gaps with speculation
FAQs About Sharona Katan
Who is Sharona Katan? Sharona Katan is an Israeli-born visual artist, married to Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood since 1995.
How did Sharona Katan and Jonny Greenwood meet? They met in the early 1990s during one of Radiohead’s early tours that included a stop in Israel.
Does Sharona Katan have her own career? Yes. She works as a visual artist and album cover designer under the name Shin Katan.
How many children do Jonny Greenwood and Sharona Katan have? The couple has three children together, whom they raise largely away from public attention.
Why is Sharona Katan connected to the “Thom Yorke zionist” search term? The term relates to criticism Yorke and Radiohead received for performing in Israel despite BDS boycott calls; Katan, an Israeli herself, has publicly defended the band’s decision.
Is Sharona Katan Israeli? Yes, she was born in Israel in May 1971 and maintains close ties to the country alongside her family’s base in Oxford, England.
Final Thoughts
Sharona Katan’s story is really two stories in one: a private artist who has spent decades out of the spotlight, and an Israeli woman who chose to speak up when a political controversy touched her family directly. That combination — private by default, outspoken when it counts — is likely why interest in her name keeps growing.
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