Israel Museum

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Not to be confused with Eretz Israel Museum.
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Israel museum, Jerusalem.jpg
Established 1965
Location Jerusalem, Israel
Coordinates 31°46′21″N 35°12′16″E / 31.772379°N 35.204524°E / 31.772379; 35.204524
Type Art and history
Visitors More than one million in one year (2011)[1]
Director James S. Snyder
Website http://www.english.imjnet.org.il

The Israel Museum (Hebrew: מוזיאון ישראל,ירושלים‎, Muze'on Yisrael) was founded in 1965 as Israel's national museum. It is situated on a hill in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, near the Bible Lands Museum, the Knesset, the Israeli Supreme Court, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Among the unique objects on display are a carved female figurine considered the oldest artwork in the world; the interior of a 1736 synagogue from Suriname; necklaces worn by Jewish brides in Yemen; a mosaic Islamic prayer niche from 17th-century Persia; and a nail attesting to the practice of crucifixion in Jesus’ time.[2] An urn-shaped building on the grounds of the museum, the Shrine of the Book, houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and artifacts discovered at Masada.

Contents

History [edit]

Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek was the driving spirit behind the establishment of the Israel Museum, one of the leading art and archaeology museums in the world. The Museum houses works dating from prehistory to the present day in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and features extensive holdings of biblical and Land of Israel archaeology.[3] Since its establishment in 1965, the Museum has built up a collection of nearly 500,000 objects, representing a broad sample of world material culture.[4]

James S. Snyder, former Deputy Director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was appointed director of the museum in 1997.[5]

From 1965, the museum was housed in a series of masonry buildings designed by the Russian-born Israeli architect Alfred Mansfeld. A $100-million campaign to renovate the museum and double its gallery space was completed in July 2010.[6] The wings for archaeology, the fine arts, and Jewish art and life were completely rebuilt and the original buildings were linked through a new entrance pavilion. The passageways that connect between the buildings and five new pavilions were designed by James Carpenter. [7]

Heliodorus Stele

The museum covers nearly 50,000 sq. meters and attracts 800,000 visitors a year, including 100,000 children who visit and attend classes in its Youth Wing.[8]

Archaeology Wing [edit]

The Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology Wing tells the story of the ancient Land of Israel, home to peoples of different cultures and faiths, using unique examples from the Museum’s collection of Holy Land archaeology, the foremost holding in the world. Organized chronologically, from prehistory through the Ottoman Empire, the transformed wing presents seven “chapters” of this archaeological narrative, weaving together momentous historical events, cultural achievements, and technological advances, while providing a glimpse into the everyday lives of the peoples of the region. This narrative is supplemented by thematic groupings highlighting aspects of ancient Israeli archaeology that are unique to the region’s history, among them Hebrew writing, glass, and coins. Treasures from neighboring cultures that have had a decisive impact on the Land of Israel – such as Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Italy, and the Islamic world – are on view in adjacent and connecting galleries. A special gallery at the entrance to the wing showcases new findings and other temporary exhibition displays.

Highlights on view include: "House of David” inscription (9th century BCE), A comparative display of two shrines (8th–7th century BCE), The Heliodorus Stele (178 BCE), Royal Herodian bathhouse (1st century BCE), Hadrian’s Triumph: Inscription from a triumphal arch (136 CE), Gold-glass bases from the Roman Catacombs (4th century CE).[9]

Shrine of the Book [edit]

Shrine of the Book

The Shrine of the Book houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world, as well as rare early medieval biblical manuscripts. The scrolls were discovered in 1947–56 in 11 caves in and around the Wadi Qumran. An elaborate planning process of seven years led to the building's eventual construction in 1965 which was funded by the family of David Samuel Gottesman, the Hungarian émigré, the philanthropist who had purchased the scrolls as a gift to the State of Israel.[10]

The building consists of a white dome over a building located two-thirds below the ground. The dome is reflected in a pool of water that surrounds it. Across from the white dome is a black basalt wall.[11] The colors and shapes of the building are based on the imagery of the Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness, whereas the white dome symbolizes the Sons of Light and the black wall symbolizes the Sons of Darkness. The interior of the shrine was designed to depict the environment in which the scrolls were found.[12] There is also a permanent display on life in the Qumran, where the scrolls were written.[12] The entire structure was designed to resemble a pot in which the scrolls were found.[11] The shrine was designed by Armand Bartos and Frederick Kiesler, and was opened in 1965.[11]

As the fragility of the scrolls makes it impossible to display all on a continuous basis, a system of rotation is used. After a scroll has been exhibited for 3–6 months, it is removed from its showcase and placed temporarily in a special storeroom, where it "rests" from exposure. The museum also holds other rare ancient manuscripts and displays The Aleppo Codex, which is from the 10th-century and is believed to be the oldest complete Bible in Hebrew.[12]

Second Temple Model [edit]

Main article: Model of Jerusalem in the Late 2nd Temple Period
Second Temple model at Israel Museum

Adjacent to the Shrine is the Model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period, which reconstructs the topography and architectural character of the city as it was prior to its destruction by the Romans in 66 CE, and provides historical context to the Shrine’s presentation of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Originally constructed on the grounds of Jerusalem’s Holyland Hotel, the model, which includes a replica of Herod's Temple, is now a permanent feature of the Museum’s 20-acre (81,000 m2) campus.[13]

Fine Arts Wing [edit]

The Edmond and Lily Safra Fine Arts Wing reflects the wide-ranging, interdisciplinary nature of the Museum’s collections, encompassing works of art from across the ages in Western and non-Western cultures. The wing has been reorganized to highlight connections among works from its diverse curatorial collections, which include: European Art; Modern Art; Contemporary Art; Israeli Art; the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas; Asian Art; Photography; Design and Architecture; and Prints and Drawings. Installations are organized to underscore visual affinities and shared themes and to inspire new insight into the arts of different times and places, as well as an appreciation of the common threads of human culture. The reconfigured wing includes the Museum’s first permanent galleries for Israeli art; more than doubled gallery space for the Museum’s extensive collections in modern art; providing meaningful connecting points between Western and non-Western holdings; and a full 2,200-square-meter (7,200-square-foot) gallery floor devoted to changing displays from the Museum’s collection of contemporary art.

Highlights newly on view include: The Noel and Harriette Levine Photography Collection, The Jacques Lipchitz Collection, Gustave Courbet, Jura Landscape with Shepherd and Donkey (ca. 1866), Alberto Giacometti, Diego in the Studio (1952), Ohad Meromi, The Boy from South Tel Aviv (2001).[9]

European, Modern and Israeli art [edit]

The Death of Adonis, ca. 1614 by Peter Paul Rubens

The Israel Museum holds a large collection of paintings representing a wide range of periods, styles, subjects and regions of origin. Painters in the collection include such international figures as Rembrandt, Marc Chagall and Camille Pissarro as well as such Israeli and Jewish artists as Abel Pann and Reuven Rubin.[14] The Israel Museum’s commitment to Israeli art is central to the Museum’s mission. As Israel’s national museum, it plays a major role in preserving Israel’s artistic heritage by collecting works by Israeli artists - in Israel and abroad - and by encouraging Israel’s artists to develop in their careers. The Museum’s Israeli Art collection spans the late 19th century through today, and it reflects the evolution of Israel’s cultural history in the visual arts. The Information Center for Israeli Art provides scholars and the interested public with comprehensive archival information on several thousand Israeli artists, including biographical notes, press materials, videos, photographs and other forms of documentation.

Wing for Jewish Art and Life [edit]

A Dayenu from Birds' Head Haggada Birds' Southern Germany, c. 1300 Scribe: Menahem Parchment

The Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life presents the material culture of Jewish communities worldwide, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and is conceived to provide a view of Jewish life that integrates both its sacred and its secular dimensions. Showcasing the aesthetic value of objects as well as their social and historical significance, the comparative display unfolds in five themes that highlight the individual and the communal, the sacred and the mundane, and the heritage of the past, and the creative innovations of the present. The reconfigured wing includes a new Synagogue Route, unique to the Israel Museum, containing four synagogue interiors from the continents of Europe, Asia, and the Americas; a dramatic introductory display focusing on the Jewish life cycle that features singular treasures from the collections relating to the ritual ceremonies of birth, marriage, and death; a new gallery space to showcase the Museum’s holdings of rare illuminated manuscripts; and the integration of works of contemporary art and Judaica.[9]

Highlights on view include: Maimonides’ Mishne Torah (15th century), Zedek-ve-Shalom Synagogue (18th century), the newly restored Fishach sukkah (19th century), Burial society (hevra kadisha) carriage from Hungary (19th century), Ogadéro necklace and bracelets from Izmir, Turkey (late 19th century), a Man’s hooded cape (akhnif) from the Atlas Mountains (late 19th–early 20th centuries).

Art Garden [edit]

Robert Indiana's Love sculpture

The Billy Rose Art Garden is a 20-dunam garden featuring modern and abstract sculptures. The Art Garden, designed for the original campus by Japanese-American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, is counted among the finest outdoor sculpture settings of the 20th century. An Oriental landscape combined with an ancient Jerusalem hillside, the garden serves as the backdrop for the Israel Museum’s display of the evolution of the modern western sculptural tradition. On view are works by modern masters including Jacques Lipchitz, Henry Moore, Claes Oldenburg, Pablo Picasso, Auguste Rodin, and David Smith, together with more recent site-specific commissions by such artists as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Mark Dion, James Turrell, and Micha Ullman.[9]

Youth Wing [edit]

The Ruth Youth Wing for Art Education, was opened in 1966. It is unique in its size and scope of activities, presents a wide range of programming to more than 100,000 schoolchildren each year, and features exhibition galleries, art studios, classrooms, a library of illustrated children’s books, and a recycling room. Special programs foster intercultural understanding between Arab and Jewish students and reach out to the wide spectrum of Israel’s communities. The wing combines annual original artworks of Israeli and international artists, with educational activities. There are also a variety of workshops for children and adults.[15]

Rockefeller Archaeological Museum and the Ticho House [edit]

In addition to the extensive programming offered on its main campus, the Israel Museum also operates two off-site locations: the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum that opened in 1938 for the display of artifacts unearthed mainly in the excavations conducted in Mandate Palestine, in the 1920s and 1930s;[16] and Ticho House, which offers an ongoing program of exhibitions by younger Israeli artists in a historic house and garden setting.[17]

Management [edit]

Funding [edit]

The Israel Museum receives only 10% to 12% of its operating budget from State and Municipal sources. The Israeli government provides varying amounts of funds each year. The institution must raise 88% of its yearly operating budget, all of its $150 million endowment[18] and $100 million for its recent capital project, while paying 17.5% VAT as well as real-estate taxes on the campus property. The most active of the international support groups of the museum, the American Friends of the Israel Museum raised $270 million in cash, of which $47 million is in endowment funds, and donated $210 million in art from 1972 to 2008. In 2009, the Israel Museum received $12m from the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, towards the renovation, reinstallation and endowment of its fine arts wing, which will be renamed after Edmond and Lily Safra.[19]

Attendance [edit]

As of 2010, attendance is about 500,000 per year.[18]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Israel Museum Welcomes One Millionth Visitor Since Inauguration of Renewed Campus". August 21, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2012.  Unknown parameter |Press releases= ignored (help)
  2. ^ A Haven National and Universal, New York Times
  3. ^ A Haven National and Universal, New York Times
  4. ^ "Search the Israel Museum Collections". Imj.org.il. Retrieved 2012-09-19. 
  5. ^ Kleiman, Shelley (March 22, 2003). "Museum and Vision". Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  6. ^ Bronner, Ethan (July 20, 2010). "Cleaning Up Intersection of Ancient and Modern". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2010. 
  7. ^ Transparency Is Only the Beginning, New York Times
  8. ^ Hazan, Susan. "The Israel Museum and the Electronic Surrogate". Cultivate Interactive. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  9. ^ a b c d "About The Israel Museum, Jerusalem" (PDF). Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Retrieved January 1, 2012. 
  10. ^ Nemy, Enid (October 2, 1997). "Esther G. Gottesman, 98, Zionist With Role in Scrolls Acquisition". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  11. ^ a b c Muschamp, Herbert (August 19, 2001). "A Surrealist And the Widow Who Keeps The Flame". The New York Times. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  12. ^ a b c "Israel Museum, Jerusalem". Sacred Destinations. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  13. ^ "Model of Jerusalem from the late second Temple era". Huliq News. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  14. ^ Rachum, Stephanie (November 1, 2006). Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Painting and Sculpture in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-5738-1. 
  15. ^ "The Israel Museum, Jerusalem". Israel Travel Center. Retrieved May 6, 2009. 
  16. ^ "Rockefeller Archaeological Museum". The Israel Museum. 
  17. ^ "Ticho House". The Israel Museum. 
  18. ^ a b Rachel Somerstein (February 16, 2010), Better than Bilbao? ARTINFO.
  19. ^ Charmaine Picard (May 20, 2009), Israel Museum receives $12m from Safra foundation The Art Newspaper.

External links [edit]

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