MAGAZINE FOCUS

Israel is celebrating 100 years of art. The year 1906 is the official beginning of Israeli art, corresponding with the opening of the "Bezalal" academy of art in Jerusalem, founded by Professor Boris Shatz. Shatz was certainly a man of vision. He was also a sculptor. His vision empowered him with the spirit needed for the most ambitious cultural project of the early Zionist movement.

Bezalel attracted Jewish artists to come and study in Palestine but its teachers represented the European academic traditions. Led by Shatz, they ignored the modern art developments and encouraged Academic History painting and crafts and the Orientalist ethnic style. This was at a time of dramatic developments in European art after the turn of the century. Piccasso painted his " Les Desmoiselles d'Avignon", The works of Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne were widely accessible,Matisse introduced Fauvism. Not a hint of all this entered the gates of Bezalel. Many artists that had arrived from Europe with a sense of what was going on were discouraged to join Bezalel on account of the traditional subjects and emphasize on crafts. These artists were fascinated by the new country’s people and landscape and wanted to express their feelings by developing a new style of art. They were very interested in the contemporary art developments in Paris, which is what had attracted (in the 1920’s) many artists to travel and study there.

Bezalel will always remain an important landmark in the history of Israeli art but Boris Shatz strove to keep Israeli art away from the developing Moderna. Nevertheless, he is considered the "father" of Israeli art and under this title, an exhibition is being held throughout 2006 at the Israel museum in Jerusalem

Click here for a full essay on Israeli art.