For decades, museums presented Israeli art as a companion to the country’s history. The Tel Aviv Museum of Art breaks away from that approach with surprising results.
Jessica Steinberg covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center. The Hotdog Man and the Thief of Distances, sculptures by Halil Balabin, 31, and Merav Kamal, 30 acquired in 2020 by the Israel Museum (Courtesy Noam Frisman)
The Israel Museum was only open for short periods over the last year, but it’s still purchasing new art.
The Jerusalem institution was granted NIS 625,000 (around $190,000) to purchase 24 works from eight Israeli artists, mostly for its contemporary art collection.
The money was raised by the museum’s Here & Now Acquisitions Committee, made up of Israeli museum supporters and laypeople. In the decade since the committee was formed, they have acquired more than 170 artworks from some 95 artists for NIS 8 million ($2.4 million).