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Fringe theatre and unusual architecture - a look at Israel's most arty city

Ruti Direktor, the curator of contemporary art at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, explains how art streams through the city’s veins

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Have you always been an art curator?

I’ve been at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art for two years. Before that I was chief curator at the Haifa Museum of Art – Haifa is the third largest city in Israel, in the north of country. And before that I was an art critic, writing for some of the main daily newspapers in Israel and lecturing about art.

 

Tell us a little more about the museum

It’s a museum of modern and contemporary art, and it was founded in 1932, before the state of Israel was even declared. The declaration ceremony of Israel’s independence in fact took place inside the museum. For this reason the museum has become very symbolic for the national and artistic identity of Israelis. It’s very much connected to the spirit of Tel Aviv. Today the museum is comprised of two buildings – one built in 1971 that is brutalist and one built in 2011 that is postmodern. They’re very different in style but still they are combined and one entity.

How do artworks get selected for exhibition?
There are committees responsible for choosing the work. We acquire mostly Israeli art. International art is received through donations. Our first painting was by Chagall, the Russian Jewish artist. It was donated in 1931, the year before the museum actually opened. Peggy Guggenheim has also donated works to the museum from Jackson Pollock and other artists.

Which single piece of art particularly excites visitors?
A mural by the pop artist Roy Lichtenstein. It’s huge. The left side is inspired by paintings by Chagall and Picasso and the right features distinct diagonal lines, inspired by the museum’s architecture.

What attractions are near to the museum that visitors could tie in?
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is part of the cultural complex that includes the opera house and the [performing arts] Cameri Theatre. It’s also not far from Sarona, a historical site that used to be a German colony. There are lots of small coffee shops and restaurants that have been recently renovated and it’s a very nice place to visit.

 

Describe your perfect day in Tel Aviv

The scale of the city makes it a great place to live. I would go for a walk to Kiryat Hamelacha, in the southern part of the city. It’s an ex-industrial area with five huge buildings that used to belong to the textile industry. Today it’s packed with artists’ studios and small galleries. It’s not a beautiful area – there’s lots of graffiti and I wouldn’t want to go there late at night – but it’s a very interesting place to walk from one studio to another. Until about 15 years ago it was totally unfashionable, but slowly artists and galleries have started moving in.

What’s your top lunch spot in the city?
My favourite places are the kiosks on Ben Zion Boulevard, near the Habima Theatre. They’re outdoors, serve light dishes and are very casual and friendly – you always meet new people.

Why has Tel Aviv become such a bastion of the arts?
Tel Aviv is the centre of cultural life in Israel. What makes the city so alive and energetic are these small fringe theatres and festivals where young people are experimenting with multidisciplinary forms of art, dance and music.

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