Jerusalem School

The exhibit “Jerusalem School” opens on March 7 in the gallery of the Museum’s new entrance pavilion. The exhibit offers a first glimpse at Jerusalem art, which developed over more than 100 years of creativity, and served as an expression of the city as the artists saw it.

“Spirit of Stone”, the first part of the exhibit located in the new gallery at the Tower of David, presents Hebrew art in Jerusalem until the 1950’s. This is a tribute to the “Tower of David Exhibitions”, the first Hebrew art exhibits in Israel, shown exactly in this spot, the Tower of David Citadel, about 100 years ago. “Forsaken Space”, the second part of the exhibit located at HaMiffal, presents Israeli art in Jerusalem from the 1950’s until today.

Jerusalem, a city of extremes and opposites, gave and continues to give a broad and rich canvas for artistic creations and serves as a point of reference. Jerusalem art reflects these extremes, and often even succeeds in doing the impossible, grasping all the extremes and opposites at the same time: Jerusalem of the past and the present, of the ancient and and modern, of its Jewish identity and its multiculturalism, of the East and the West, as a city of destruction and redemption, both local and universal. These are the raw materials from which the city’s story is woven from ancient times until today.

The exhibit is being hosted by 2 of the city’s important cultural institutions. In this context you can see more than 100 original works, and connect uniquely with the city’s story, one of the most important stories in the world. A city, which despite, and say because of, the many tensions existing here, succeeds in creating a tradition of art that crosses continents, nations, identities, and strong emotions. Art works, presentations, items, posters, photographs and movies, including prose, poetry and ideas, are presented in the exhibit.

Jerusalem School at the Tower of David Jerusalem Museum:

The first part of the exhibit, “Spirit of Stone”, examines the first 50 years of Hebrew art in Jerusalem, from the period of the First Aliyah until the establishment of the State of Israel. The meeting with Jerusalem is expressed through the period’s art, writings, and lifestyles of its artists. Their works brought Biblical Jerusalem again into the heart of the chosen people, and formulated a new Jerusalem in the spirit of Zionist idealism and the European modernist movement. “Spirit of Stone” is a tribute to the first exhibitions of Hebrew art in the land of Israel, presented at the Tower of David during the British Mandate, 100 years ago.

Artists featured: Boris Schatz, Ze’ev Raban, Ira Jan, Abel Pann, Nechemia Bedarshi, Ludwig Blum, Aaron Shaul Schur, Shmuel Charuvi, Shmuel Levi Ophel, Reuven Rubin, Siona Tagger, Joseph Zaritsky, Miron Sima, Meir Gur-Arie, Jacob Steinhardt, Adolf Behrman, Mordecai Ardon, Else Lasker-Schuler, Anna Ticho, Grete Wolf Krakauer, Leopold Kraukauer, Ya’akov Stark, Yerachmiel Schechter, Friedel Stern, Ruth Schloss.

Curator: Tal Kobo

Jerusalem School at HaMiffal (3 Ha-Ma’aravim St., Jerusalem):

The second part of the exhibit, “Forsaken Space”, examines the definition of modern Jerusalem art , the way it connects to physical Jerusalem and to history, to collective groups and to civil, social action. The exhibit is presented on the gallery floor of HaMiffal and features dozens of art works, and historical documentation of established art works, created in Jerusalem from the 1960’s until 2023.

Artists featured: Hannan Abu-Hussein, Etti Abergel, Sharon Avraham, Avraham Ofek, Yael Oren, Sergey Engel, Noa Arad Yairi, Amir Bolzman, Yehuda Brown, Gabi & Sharon Exhibit, Anat Golan, Guy David Briller, David Cohen-Wallin, Itamar Hammerman, Shlomo Vazana, Masha Zusman, Zik Group, Yosi Havilio, Zvi Tolkovsky, Yuval Yairi, Noam Kuzar, David (Duchi) Cohen, Einat Leader, Motti Mizrachi, Etzion Mizrahi, Muslala, Jerry Marx, the Mashkof Group, Avi Sabach, Yanai Segal, Sala-Manca Group, Yotam Kellner, Uri Rosenwaks, Iranian Embassy in Jerusalem, Ben Sheer, Yael Buchbinder-Shimoni.

Curator: Dr. Elad Yaron