Yaacov Agam Museum of Art

Mister Handmade in Israel thinks that it's strange that I like visiting museums on my own. I'm quite a sociable person really, but for several reasons I prefer to go to an art gallery or museum alone. I like to be able to spend as much time there as I wish, without being rushed or feeling that it is time to leave. I love taking photos - lots of them - without anyone thinking I am slightly crazy. And I like the peace and quiet. Shhh! Please don't talk to me whilst I am enjoying a special exhibition.

Having said all that, I had no problem at all going by myself to the new Yaacov Agam Museum of Art in Rishon LeZion on International Museum Day. A friend was going to join me but was running late, so I spent the time in this new museum all alone. I loved it!

Yaacov Agam is an Israeli sculptor and experimental artist best known for his contributions to optical and kinetic art. The son of a rabbi and a kabbalist, he was born Yaacov Gipstein on May 11, 1928 in Rishon LeZion, Palestine (now Israel), and was raised in a family steeped in Jewish spiritual values. Agam trained at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, before moving to Zürich, Switzerland in 1949. In 1951 he moved to Paris, France, where he still lives today. He has enjoyed great public success since his first one-person show in Paris in 1953, and has become one of the most influential artists of modern times. His paintings, which are displayed in famous buildings such as the Elysee Palace, the Pompidou Centre - where 'Salon Agam' is included in the museum's top list of collection masterpieces - and the White House, as well as in metropolitan areas such as New York, Miami, Chicago, Tokyo, Paris and St. Petersburg to name a few, define kinetic art with a signature use of bold colours and shapes. Agam is the highest-selling Israeli artist of all time. In a Sotheby's New York auction in December 2010 his painting 'Growth' was sold for $698,000.

Agam's art, or at least a large collection of it, has now found a permanent home in the place of his birth, at the newly opened Yaacov Agam Museum of Art. Located in Israel's third largest city, the museum - a joint initiative of the Rishon LeZion Municipality and the artist - showcases six decades of Agam's artistic research, and presents some of his most important artworks, coming from prestigious Israeli and worldwide collections and museums.

The entrance to the museum features the work 'Pillars of Clilla', named after the artist's late wife. The work includes 29 monumental columns, 20 at the entrance and 9 inside the building, which make the distinction between indoors and outdoors inconspicuous. The museum’s central space boasts his 'Panoramagam' work, a twenty-two metre long relief painting, originally displayed as part of Agam’s solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City in 1981.

Other exhibits range from transformable sculptures and paintings to relief paintings, interactive digital displays, objects, installations and sound works. His art engages and fascinates all ages and audiences, and spans a breathtaking range of artistic expressions. 

The building itself, designed by architect David Nofar, takes up 3,200 square metres and also includes a gorgeous outdoor sculpture garden.

In the Israeli public sphere, Agam is especially renowned for his 'Fire and Water' fountain at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, which brought colour to Kikar Dizengoff for years until it was taken down for renovations in 2016. He also designed the front of the Dan Hotel on the Tel Aviv Promenade, below, and the exterior design of Ne'eman Towers in north Tel Aviv. His works are regularly exhibited at the Israel Museum and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and can be seen at the President's Residence, by the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem, The Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel HaShomer Hospital, Rabin Medical Center and many other places.

* This post has been shared on The Keeping It Real Link Up, Our World Tuesday, Wednesday around the World,  {wow me} wednesday, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop and Little Things Thursday.

The City of Firsts

I moved to Israel because I love the country, not because I particularly wanted to leave the UK. Quite the contrary actually. I am very proud of my British roots. I have always had a soft spot for The Royal Family too. My Dad still has my huge collection of Princess Diana scrapbooks (ideas what to do with them please!). Therefore I have had a fabulous time over the last few days being glued to the television watching the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. I have, in fact, watched more television these last few days than I have the last few months put together. We only have one television and the kids want it back!

Of course, whilst I am proud of the British people and the fantastic show they have put on these last few days, I am also an extremely proud Israeli and never fail to get a kick out of discovering something new here. 

Not long ago it was International Museum Day, a day when, across the globe, many museums open their doors and invite visitors to explore their institutions for free. The date was actually switched here in Israel to coincide with a one-day school holiday and it gave me the perfect opportunity to take the youngest son off for an educational and fun day with Mum. I already knew where I wanted to take him. Nearby Rishon LeZion has a local museum which we had not yet visited and I thought it would perhaps be a little less crowded than some of the bigger institutions. I was right. The museum was small, quiet and the perfect place to visit with an inquisitive 9 year old who says he hates museums, but always enjoys them once I've got him there!

We learnt so much from that one small place! Rishon LeZion was one of the first settlements in Israel (the city's name means “First to Zion”) and its museum tells the story of the First Aliyah (the initial wave of new immigrants to Palestine in 1882). The youngest son and I heard about the hardships and achievements of these first settlers. The museum is located in some of the founders’ renovated homes, commercial enterprises and public buildings, and we saw how they lived, went to school and made a living. We learnt about how Israel's national flag came about and where it was first flown. The settlers needed a banner to celebrate the third anniversary of the founding of the community and so two members took the tallit (prayer shawl) of one of the founders and sewed on a blue Star of David. This very design of the Star of David with two blue stripes was later adopted as the flag of Israel. We saw where Hatikva (The Hope), Israel's national anthem, was written by Naftali Herz Imber during his stay in Rishon LeZion, and was edited by members of the community. It was a local farmer who adapted its words to the tune of a Romanian folk song, many years before its formal adoption as the national anthem of the State of Israel.

In 1886, Rishon LeZion's school, pictured above, was the first one to speak and teach all subjects in Hebrew. The synagogue in the city was one of the first buildings to be erected, seen below, bottom right. As Turkish law forbade the building of a synagogue, the founders declared that the structure was to be a warehouse. The 'warehouse' later evolved into the synagogue.

A short walk from the museum complex took us to the city's first well, its pumping equipment and the adjacent water tower. The well, built with financial assistance from Baron de Rothschild in France, enabled the settlement of Rishon LeZion to survive and today it is immortalized in the shield of the municipality.

After a good couple of hours it was time for refreshments. Our day of fun had come with the promise of lunch, so we checked out the outdoor cafe overlooking the beautiful municipal park near the water tower. Afterwards we walked off our food through the majestic park and learnt that it too had a historical background, having been the site of receptions for Theodor Herzl, Lord Balfour, Winston Churchill and other dignitaries.

It was a short walk back to the car and, as we made our way back, we noticed a beautiful building built in the 1890's, the Rothschild Administration Centre. Today the building contains a memorial commemorating the fallen soldiers of Rishon LeZion but it once served as the home and offices of Baron de Rothschild's chief administrator. In 1898 Theodor Herzl was photographed on its balcony and, if you look closely at the photo above, you can see his model lookalike standing there today!
We really enjoyed our day in Rishon LeZion. It was only ever so slightly spoiled at the end when we discovered that the hubby's car, borrowed because it has a GPS in it, had a flat battery. Fortunately the youngest son was in a good mood from the day out and patiently waited for almost two hours in the sun till I got the problem sorted out.