| Tel Aviv Museum of Art |
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| Written by Elijah Shifrin |
| Monday, 29 June 2009 11:56 |
 TEL AVIV The Tel-Aviv Museum of Art is the centerpiece of the city's cultural district on Shaul Hamelech boulevard. Flanked by the Beit Ariela public library and the Israeli Opera House, it is positioned only a few minutes away on foot from the municipal office on the west, and an expansive secret military installation on the south.
The unique location makes the museum an essential component of an area that acts as a melting pot where art blends with the reality of war, and freedom of expression with mundane city proceedings. The admission prices reflect the wish to produce a savory, homogeneous mixture: soldiers in uniform and senior citizens are encouraged to step inside and view the displays for a reduced price, or no cost at all.  Table of Peace by Sandro Chia, bronze I paid a full price for my ticket, but haven't regretted it for a minute. Proclaimed as “Israel's main art museum,” the institution upholds its status by housing works of art created by some of the greatest painters of the West. It is also a place where contemporary Israeli artists, emerging as well as established, get the opportunity to exhibit their work, and enjoy exposure on an international scale. The Tel-Aviv Museum of Art strives to balance local talent with the foreign classics. As a result, visitors receive an eclectic experience – if they decide to follow the curator's direction; if not, a visit can focus on either Israeli art, which, naturally, is almost all modernist or contemporary (post-modern), or on the collection of Renaissance, Baroque, Classicist, Impressionist, and later period and style European paintings and sculptures.  Tel Aviv Museum of Art The main room on the first floor contains English and Flemish Baroque portraits by such familiar artists as Rubens, van Dyck, Reynolds, Romney, and others. Viewing these pieces produces an indelible, and perhaps somewhat disturbing – as so many eyes from the past seem to follow your every step – effect. It's also a rewarding psychological journey into the minds of the subjects, almost all aristocrats or high government officials. Intimate landscapes and family scenes by Ruysdael and Israels offset the overbearing official mood imposed by the portraits. Emotionally charged works, they present an alternative reality of the “little man,” depicting people in their weakest moments, sometimes on the verge of breakdown. It's as though the enigma of a complex individual, captured and locked by van Dyck's brush, found an exit in these disarmingly honest pieces.  Sculptures outside Tel Aviv Museum of Art The walls of the upper floor accommodate artists that today could be more aptly described as “superstars.” Starting with a few paintings from the impressionists Pissarro and Monet, the exhibit quickly progresses towards Renoir, Degas, and van Gogh, and further into the 20th century, towards Schiele and Picasso. The latter's shift to cubism also marks the stylistic transposition from figurative art to the abstract and surreal. Paintings by such figures as Magritte, De Kooning, Klimt, Mondrian and Pollock constitute a point of contact with works by Israeli artists. Alima's life-work exhibition demonstrates strong Rothko influences, sifted through a perspective of femininity; Avner Ben-Gal's canvases emit a kind of eclecticism and search similar to what can be found in the oeuvres of the great surrealists and abstract expressionists.  Sculptures outside Tel Aviv Museum of Art On a usual day, the museum is open for six hours, from 10:00 AM to 16:00, and a diligent visitor will need the majority of that time. There's a cafeteria and a playroom for children, who will also love the TV screens (showing interviews and video art) scattered around the museum. Official Website: http://www.tamuseum.com/index.html Bookmark us: 
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| Last Updated on Monday, 29 June 2009 12:12 |