Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design facts for kids
|
בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב
|
|
 |
|
|
Former names
|
Bezalel School |
|---|---|
| Type | Public college Art school |
| Established | 1906 |
| Founder | Boris Schatz |
| President | Adi Stern |
| Students | 2,500 |
| Undergraduates | 2,200 |
| Postgraduates | 300 |
| Location |
Jerusalem, Israel
31°46′54″N 35°13′24″E / 31.7818°N 35.2234°E |
| Campus | Urban |
The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design (Hebrew: בצלאל, אקדמיה לאמנות ועיצוב) is a famous school for art and design in Jerusalem, Israel. It was started in 1906 by a Jewish artist named Boris Schatz. Bezalel is the oldest higher education school in Israel and is known as the best art school in the country.
The school is named after a person from the Bible, Bezalel, son of Uri. He was chosen by Moses to design and build the Tabernacle, a special tent for worship. The art made by Bezalel students and teachers in the early 1900s helped start modern Israeli art.
Bezalel's main campus is in the center of Jerusalem. Its architecture department is still in the historic campus nearby. As of 2023, about 2,500 students study at Bezalel. They learn from over 500 teachers. The school has won many awards, including 14 Israel Prizes.
Contents
History of Bezalel
In 1903, Boris Schatz suggested creating an art school to Theodor Herzl. Herzl was a key leader in the Zionist movement. Schatz wanted to create a special style of art that mixed old Jewish and Middle Eastern art with European styles.
In 1905, a big meeting called the World Zionist Congress agreed to support an art school in Palestine. The Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts officially opened in 1906. It got help from an artist named E.M. Lilien. The school first opened in rented rooms in Jerusalem. Later, it moved to its own buildings. These buildings were bought for Boris Schatz by the Jewish National Fund in 1907. Schatz and his family lived there.
The first class had 30 young art students from Europe. They had to pass an entrance exam to get in. Eliezer Ben Yehuda was hired to teach them Hebrew. This was important because the students came from different countries and spoke different languages. His wife, Hemda Ben-Yehuda, worked as Boris Schatz's secretary.
Art and Crafts at Bezalel
Besides painting and sculpture, the school had workshops. Students made beautiful objects from silver, leather, wood, brass, and fabric. Many of the skilled workers were Yemenite Jewish silversmiths. They had a long history of working with precious metals. Yemenite immigrants were often featured in the art created by Bezalel artists.
Many students became famous artists. Some of them include Meir Gur Aryeh, Ze'ev Raban, and Jacob Steinhardt. In 1912, a female student named Marousia Nissenholtz studied there. She used the pen name Chad Gadya.
Reopening the School
Bezalel had to close in 1929 because of money problems. After Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany, the school's leaders asked Josef Budko to reopen it. Budko had left Germany in 1933. The school reopened in 1935 as the New Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts. Many teachers and students from Germany came to Bezalel. Some were from the Bauhaus school, which the Nazis had shut down. Budko brought in Jakob Steinhardt and Mordecai Ardon to teach. They later became directors of the school.
In 1958, Bezalel won the Israel Prize for painting and sculpture. This was the first time the prize was given to an organization. In 1969, Bezalel became a school supported by the government. In 1975, it was recognized as a higher education institute. It moved to Mount Scopus in 1990.
In 2009, Bezalel planned to move to a new campus near the Russian Compound. This was part of a plan to make Jerusalem's downtown lively again. The new campus, called the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel campus, opened in 2023. It was designed by a famous architectural firm from Tokyo, SANAA.
Bezalel Pavilion
The Bezalel pavilion was a small building made of wood and tin. It had a special roof and tower. It was built outside Jaffa Gate in 1912. This pavilion was a shop and showroom where people could buy souvenirs made by Bezalel artists. The British authorities tore it down six years later.
Bezalel Style of Art
The Bezalel school created its own special art style. It is known as the Bezalel school style. This style showed stories from the Bible and Zionist ideas. It was influenced by European jugendstil (also called art nouveau) and traditional art from Persia and Syria.
Artists mixed different ideas from their surroundings, old traditions, and new ideas. They created paintings and craft items that used "biblical themes, Islamic design and European traditions." They wanted to create a unique style of Jewish art for the new nation they hoped to build in the ancient Jewish homeland.
Ceramic Tiles
- Further information: Israeli ceramics#The ceramics of Bezalel and Bezalel school
In the 1920s, the Bezalel School made decorative ceramic tiles. These tiles showed scenes from the Bible and Zionist history. Some of these tiles can still be seen today. In Tel Aviv, some famous examples are:
- Lederberg House (1925) at the corner of Allenby Street and Rothschild Boulevard. The tiles were designed by Ze'ev Raban.
- Moshav Zkenim Synagogue, located at 89 Allenby Street.
- Municipal School, at 37 Ahad Ha’Am Street (built in 1924).
- Bialik House, also known as Beit Bialik.
There are also Bezalel-made ceramic street signs still in Jerusalem.
Bezalel Today
In 2006, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design celebrated its 100th birthday. Today, the school has many departments. These include:
- Fine Arts
- Architecture
- Ceramic Design
- Industrial Design
- Jewelry
- Photography
- Visual Communication
- Animation
- Film
- Art History & Theory
Bezalel offers different types of degrees, like Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) and Bachelor of Design (B.Des.). They also have Master's degrees. In 2011, a show by Bezalel students at the Milan Furniture Fair was praised as one of the best exhibits.
Notable Faculty
- Samuel Hirszenberg (1865–1908), painter
- Yaacov Kaufman (born 1945), industrial designer
- Aaron Marcus, (born 1943), graphic designer and computer artist
- Abraham Neumann (1873–1942), painter
- Abel Pann (1883–1963), painter
- Ze'ev Raban (1890–1970), painter, decorative artist, and industrial designer
- Siona Shimshi (born 1939), painter, sculptor, ceramist, and textile designer
- Sari Srulovitch (born 1964), artist and silversmith
- Joshua Neustein (born 1940), contemporary visual artist
Notable Alumni
- Noor Abuarafeh (born 1986), Palestinian visual artist
- Baruch Agadati (1895–1976), dancer, choreographer, painter, film producer
- Yaacov Agam (born 1928), sculptor and experimental artist
- Gideon Amichay (born 1963), communication artist, cartoonist, writer
- Ron Arad (born 1951), industrial designer
- Avigdor Arikha (1929–2010), painter
- Netiva Ben-Yehuda (1928–2011), author, editor
- Moti Bodek (born 1961), architect
- Elinor Carucci (born 1971), photographer
- Yitzhak Danziger (1916–1977), sculptor
- Hanna Eshel (1926–2023), sculptor
- Uri Gershuni (born 1970), photographer
- Yoni Goodman (born 1976), animator and illustrator
- Nachum Gutman (1898–1980), painter, sculptor, author
- Vania Heymann (born 1986), film director
- Nir Hod (born 1970), artist
- Anat Hoffman (born 1954), executive director
- Itshak Holtz (born 1925), painter
- Gurwin Kopel (1923–1990), artist
- Brothers of Light (born 1988 and 1991), street artists
- Yaron London (born 1940), media personality, journalist, actor
- Joshua Meyer (born 1974), painter
- Rutu Modan (born 1966), illustrator, comic book artist
- Roy Nachum (born 1979), contemporary artist
- Itay Noy, watchmaker
- Ran Poliakine (born 1967), entrepreneur
- Zvi Raphaeli (1924–2005), painter and Rabbi
- Ophrah Shemesh (born 1952), painter
- Avigdor Stematsky (1908–1989), painter
- Yehezkel Streichman (1906–1993), painter
- Lidia Zavadsky (born 1937), sculptor
See also
In Spanish: Academia de artes y diseño Bezalel para niños
- Jewish ceremonial art
- List of Israeli visual artists
- List of universities and colleges in Israel
