Israel's art roundup: Impressionism and Jewish painting

Tel Aviv 

IMPRESSIONISM – Paintings and other works by the bold artists who broke away from the tradition of academic art painting – with the now-famous 1874 Paris exhibition that birthed a new movement in art – are now being shown in To Catch a Fleeting Moment: 150 Years of Impressionism at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Co-curated by Nathalie Andrijasevic and Hillary Reder, the large exhibition includes famous museum-held pieces shown in new contexts, displayed alongside works from private collections.

Renoir’s Nude Seen from the Back is shown. In 1876, Le Figaro claimed the painter couldn't tell a woman’s body from “a mass of rotting flesh.”

When compared to more well-received works at the time, like Alexandre Cabanel’s 1863 work The Birth of Venus, we can clearly see the difference between the earthy painting of the Impressionist master and the weightless woman floating on the waves created by the favorite painter of Napoleon III.

The exhibition offers some remarkable meeting points, such as between the bronze statue by Edgar Degas Dancer Looking at the Sole of Her Right Foot and a similarly-themed painting by the same artist.

“Our altarpiece in this exhibition,” Andrijasevic told members of the press during a tour, “is a wall devoted to Claude Monet.” The works shown include one by a private donor who shipped it to the museum, at his own cost, to support Israel during the ongoing war.

“It is deeply moving to re-introduce paintings that have been kept apart for 140 years,” the curator said.

Patrons will see and learn much about Impressionism here. From small factoids such as which painter owned a yacht and bought works by his less affluent friends (Gustave Caillebotte) and who introduced Manet to painting in the open air (Eugene Boudin) to often over-looked streams that connect this illustrious school to Jewish artists like Jakob Nussbaum and Isaac Levitan.

Before the Nazis rose to power, Nussbaum took an active part in German Impressionism. In a lovely painting by Alexej Stepanov, Levitan is painted alongside his partner Sofia Kuvshinnikova as they both paint outdoors. In contrast to Academic painters, who worked in studios with props and drapes, the Impressionists went out into the world trying to capture its fleeting light.

Join a guided Hebrew tour of the exhibition at noon on Friday, August 2. NIS 55 per ticket. Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 27 Shaul HaMelech Blvd. Call (03) 607-7020 for info. Shown until Saturday, December 14.

ON TUESDAY, August 6, attend an online Hebrew lecture at 8 p.m. about The Mandrake Root and its Partner – the Devil by Nissim Krispil as part of The Poison Path. Curated by Bar Yerushalmi, the exhibition includes works by Yakira Ament, Kinnert Haya Max, Moshe Roas, and Tamir Chen. Shown until Friday, September 27, the various works all explore the complex relations between healing and killing, as well as the rich relationship between humans and plants. Krispil is one of this country’s leading experts in this field.

Schechter Gallery, 42 Chelouche St. Learn more by signing up online at https://schechter-gallery.com/ or calling (03) 510-6676.

Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free admission.STICKS AND STONES – Visit the new solo-exhibition by Oren Fischer (curated by Elad Yaron). Fischer is a rising-star in the current art scene, having just shown his colorful and gory paintings in Germany, and this installation is a good local introduction to his work.

33 Lilienblum St. Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free admission.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 – Attend the closing performance of I Feel Love, a unique exhibition by Or Zaloof which offers the personal stories of elderly women, all living outside central Israel, as they express their personal histories of seeking love. Curated by Drorit Gur Arie and shown at Ehad HaAm Tesha Gallery, the Tu B’Av poetry performance is by artists Efrat Mishori and Sahar Ades.

8 p.m. 9 Ehad HaAm St. (Enter from 5 HaShachar St.) Free Admission. Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Haifa

FOR CHAOS THEY YEARN is a new exhibition by Ella Littwitz out of six to open on Thursday, August 1, at the Haifa Museum of Art. These include From the Dark by Lihie Talmor, Patrol by Hadar Saifan, Of Goddess Born by Merav Sudaey, Figure Coming to Life by Rachel Anyo and 6+1 by Liron Hana Ohayon and Amit Gavish.The festive opening will be held at 7 p.m.

Also curated by Oz Zaloof, 6+1 continues his unique vision of activism-inspired art which honors the roles of women in society. The six art-videos included in it re-create Haifa as a wonderland under threat, to which the women respond. Zaloof also curated the exhibition by Anyo, who focuses on Ethiopian women in Israeli society. “Ohayon and Gavish did a very brave thing in our competitive art world,” Zaloof told The Jerusalem Post: “They worked together.”He added that, in his view, “Haifa is the most fascinating, innovative city in the country and all eyes are on it as a powerhouse.

“In this context, art should take a leading role,” he concluded, “not to copy existing forms but to create a better future.”Museum chief curator Dr. Kobi Ben-Meir (who curated the exhibitions by Littwitz, Saifan, and Sudaey) will offer a Hebrew guided tour on Wednesday, August 14, at 11 a.m.

26 Shabtai Levi St. NIS 35 per ticket for the tour. Call (04) 603-0800 to book.

Jerusalem 

BEZALEL – Come see the end-of-studies projects of the most recent graduates of the Academy of Art during a grand opening to be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 8. This is a unique opportunity to see the future of Israeli art, and possibly look into buying a work or two, before their creators become famous.

1 Zamora St., Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Campus. Opening event until 10 p.m. Opening hours: Sunday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free admission.

Kibbutz Ashdot Yaakov Mehuad

FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 – Take an 11 a.m. Hebrew painting workshop focused on sketching with charcoal powder and paint brushes with Reut Dafna. The 90-minute class is offered as part of her current exhibition, To Whom Do You Belong, curated by Ayelet Carmi at the Beit Uri and Rami Nehoshtan Museum, named after two sons of the kibbutz who died in the War of Independence. 

The exhibition is composed of large realistic works inspired by her family’s photo album. NIS 80 per person. In Hebrew. Sign up by calling (04) 675-7737.

Art news

MONEY AND ART is the title of a new Hebrew essay by Dr. Elad Yaron in the summer issue of Erev Rav. As the title suggests, the work explores in depth the explosive roles of money within the art world, both globally and locally.Yaron joked that “there is no money in art” and invited anyone who disagrees to make some cash in the field and use it to purchase a copy of the magazine (NIS 50).

He rejects the adoring gaze of those who think the art market is a fantastic way to make money and points to Don Thompson’s 2010 book The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art as one example of this false gaze, and hits with some hard truths.

Citing William J. Baumol’s 1986 article “Unnatural Value: or art investment as floating crap game,” Elad informs the reader that it is impossible to predict the future value or artworks, and normally, those who made a good investment did so by unknowingly buying a work that fitted the taste of future generations.

The person who bought Renoir’s Nude Seen from the Back, for example, likely purchased it in contrast to the current opinion of his day and age because he liked it. There was no way to know that, 150 years later, its value would be so high.

To inquire about having a copy e-mailed to you of the Erev Rav issue that has this article, write to: erevravmail@gmail.com.

Art Roundup is a monthly glance at some of the finest art exhibitions and events currently being shown across the country. Artists, curators, and collectors are welcome to send pitches to hagayhacohen@yahoo.com with “Art Roundup” in the email subject.