Not long ago Mister Handmade in Israel and I had an appointment in Kiryat
Ti'von, in the Northern District of Israel and then, later that same day, we
had to be in Tel Aviv. There was little point in us going back home in the
middle of the day, so I had a quick look at Google Maps to find something to do
for the couple of hours in between. I spotted The Wilfrid Israel Museum, located
in Kibbutz Hazorea, on the western rim of the Jezreel Valley. It seemed like a
good place for a short visit.
The Wilfrid Israel Museum of Asian Art and
Studies is the home of the art collection bequeathed by
Wilfrid Israel, an
Anglo-German businessman and philanthropist, who was one of the leading figures
in the rescue of Jewish children and youngsters from Nazi persecution before and
during the Second World War. In June 1943, returning from a mission to organize
an escape route for Jewish children to Israel via Spain, Wilfrid died on a
flight to England from Portugal, when his plane was shot down by the German air
force.
The museum was founded in 1951 and was the first museum in Israel to exhibit
East Asian art from the collection that Israel, a friend of the
founders of Kibbutz Hazorea, accumulated during the 1920s, when he was
travelling to Asia. The primary collection has grown throughout the years
thanks to donations of various collectors, and includes some 2,000 pieces
from India, Nepal, China, Thailand and Cambodia. In addition, the museum holds
exhibitions of contemporary art both from Israel and from the Far East that
are changed every few months. These exhibitions cover painting, sculpture,
photography, textiles and more.
Wilfrid Israel's collection includes bronze ceremonial vessels from China,
statuettes of Buddha from
Gandhara on the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border, ceramic vessels representing various styles in
the history of Chinese ceramics and porcelain, as well as bronze and stone
images from different areas of India, Nepal and Thailand. Many of the items
have religious connotations, and both of the predominant faiths of Eastern
Asia - Hinduism and Buddhism - are represented. One particular piece - Jewish
trader, China, Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE), Earthenware - fascinated me. The
figure, above, is bent, sorrowing, with pronounced facial features and typical
Jewish clothing, with a sack on his back. It is distinguishable among the
other objects in the collection that were obviously chosen for their beauty,
and serves as a reminder of the Israel family's history, when they began,
early in the 19th century, as vendors of used clothing - one of the two
occupations permitted to the Jews of Berlin at that time.
Yael Barlev - Virtual Reality, 2024.
Tracing paper, iron wire, embroidery thread, mixed mediums on
ceramic.
Works by Jewish and Arab artists were on view in the temporary exhibition
'When Things Fall Apart'. The exhibition was based on the Buddhist approach to
suffering and crisis, and its relevance is felt, especially now, living in the
shadow of the conflict and ongoing war. Some of the artworks engaged in
refugeehood and loss of a sense of home and security. Others presented scars,
cracks, and unraveled places in the body and the space. Orit Hofshi's woodcut
is the mute cry of a gazelle facing a wild forest fire, below, while Lida
Sharet Massad's canvases express physical and emotional sensations. The artist
"wounded" the canvas with nails that left a scarred path of rust stains, and
pierced the canvas with thin iron wires she unraveled from a metal fence.
Orit Hofshi - Hinterland, 2020.
Woodcut on handmade paper made from Kozo paper and powder.
Lida Sharet Massad - Untitled, 2015.
Mixed mediums and nails on canvas.
Tom Porat
Amir Tomashov - Post-trauma Model No. 16, 2020.
Cardboard, linen, plaster and synthetic paint on a tree trunk.
Amir Tomashov is an artist and originally an architect who now avoids
designing homes! His model of a large, whitened tree trunk, above, was
installed in the gallery. Tiny ruined buildings seem to grow on it, or perhaps
they are in the midst of construction. Their whiteness seems to nip its
development in the bud. Their scale enables us to observe from a safe
distance, somewhat calming the sense of danger.
We ended our visit to this small yet fascinating museum with a short walk in
the spacious gardens of Kibbutz Hazorea, and along the tributary of
Nahal Hashofet, which runs through the kibbutz. We soon spotted a guard post, above,
apparently one of seven guard posts that were constructed as a defence system
around the kibbutz between 1936 and 1938. Due to hostilities from nearby Arab
villages, it was decided to fortify the settlement. Guards would man the posts
and communication between the posts was maintained by runners. This particular
post guarded the northwestern section of the kibbutz. After the period of
unrest, this post was converted into a small and intimate living space. Later,
the structure was transformed into a "pirate ship" as a play area for nursery
school children.
