Amnon Barzel ( he, אמנון ברזל, born 1935, in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

) is an internationally known art curator and author.

Education

Barzel is a graduate of the

Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...

, where he majored in Natural Science. He earned his post-graduate degree in Art History at the University La

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Career

Upon his return to Israel Barzel became a lecturer at the

Avni Institute Avni Institute of Art and Design is an Israeli art school located in Tel Aviv. History The Studia school (later Avni Institute) was established in 1936 by a group of Jewish artists. Among the founders was Aharon Avni, who became the school's fir ...

. From 1970 onwards he contributed regularly to the Israeli Newspaper

Ha'aretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

; in addition he was a lecturer at the

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...

on 20th-century art and in 1971 he was a founding Editor of the IsraelI Art Magazine "Painting and Sculpture". Barzel was appointed Curator at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

for the Israeli Pavilion in 1976 and 1980 where he presented the work of

Dani Karavan Daniel "Dani" Karavan ( he, דני קרוון, 7 December 1930 – 29 May 2021) was an Israeli sculptor best known for site specific memorials and monuments which merge into the environment. Biography Daniel (Dani) Karavan was born in Tel A ...

Menashe Kadishman Menashe Kadishman (Hebrew: מנשה קדישמן; August 21, 1932 – May 8, 2015) was an Israeli sculptor and painter. Biography Menashe Kadishman was born in Mandate Palestine in the family of two Zionist (supporters of the state of Israel as ...

Micha Ullman Micha Ullman ( he, מיכה אולמן, born 1939) is an Israeli sculptor and professor of art. Biography Ullman was born in Tel Aviv to German Jews who immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1933.Michal Lando''Art that hints at big questions,''The F ...

and

Moshe Gershuni Moshe Gershuni (11 September 1936 – 22 January 2017) was an Israelis, Israeli painter and sculptor. In his works, particularly in his paintings from the 1980s, he expressed a position different from the norm, commemorating The Holocaust in Is ...

. In 1985 he curated the Israeli Pavilion at the

São Paulo Art Biennial The São Paulo Art Biennial (Portuguese: ''Bienal de São Paulo'') was founded in 1951 and has been held every two years since. It is the second oldest art biennial in the world after the Venice Biennale (in existence since 1895), which serves as ...

. In 1977-78, he was Art Consultant to the mayor of Tel Aviv. Other international posts Barzel has been appointed to include being Artistic Director of The European Sculpture City (Unesco), Turku, Finland (1992–95); Artistic Director of the Targetti Art Light Collection, Florence, Italy; Consultant for the Phoenix International Art Collection, Tel Aviv (1985); Consultant of the Leube Foundation, Gartenau, Salzburg (1985) Artistic Director of the Mercedes Benz Prize for Contemporary Art, Monte Firidolfi, Italy (1997); Artistic Director of Artostrada (1998); and Curator of the International Project of Environmental Sculpture in Israel (1997–98). Barzel was also the founding director of

Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci (Centre for Contemporary Art Luigi Pecci) is a contemporary art centre sited in Viale della Repubblica in Prato, Tuscany, Italy. The centre is devoted to exhibiting art produced during the past few decad ...

in 1988. He left the museum in 1992. In 1994 Barzel was appointed Director of the Jewish Museum in Berlin. His departure in 1997 followed a controversy about the museum's independence.Jewish Repport, Aug 21, 1997
/ref>

Publications

Barzel authored and edited more than 100 art books, monographs and exhibition catalogues, including: * ''Art in Israel'',

Giancarlo Politi Giancarlo Politi (born 1937 in Trevi, Italy) is an art critic and publisher, mainly known for being the founder of ''Flash Art'' magazine. Magazine Politi was born in Trevi, in Umbria. He had a brief spell as an artist and poet before turning to ...

Editore, Milan, 1987. * ''Two Environments for Peace'', Il Bisonte, Florence, 1988. * ''Europe Now'', Electa, Milan, and Giunti, Florence, 1988. * ''Utopia-Italian Art'', Palladion A.G., Zurich, 1993. * ''Arte e Industria'', Marcos y Marcos, Milan, 1996. * ''Deutschland Bilder'', DuMont, Cologne, 1997. * ''German Art'',

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Universi ...

, New Heaven, 1998. * ''Joseph Beuys'', Silvana Editoriale, Milan, 2001. * ''Franco Ionda'', Motta Editore, Milan, 2001. * ''Dialoghi Europei d’Arte'', Editoriale Modo, Amsterdam, 2002. * ''Emblema'',"Colore e Trasparenza", Torcular Edizioni d'Arte, Rome, 2005. * ''Viola: Re-thinking Nature'',

Skira The festival of the Skira ( grc, Σκίρα) or Skirophoria ( grc, Σκιροφόρια) in the calendar of ancient Athens, closely associated with the Thesmophoria, marked the dissolution of the old year in May/June. Description At Athens, t ...

, Milan, 2005. * ''Re-Thinking Nature: Franco Viola'', Mondadori Electa, Milan, 2005. * ''Israel: Hundred years of Art and Life'', Proedi Editore, Milan, 2006. * ''Hans Hartung: Monography'', Continents, Milan, 2007. * ''Arte Ambientale'', Villa Celle Sculpture Park, Gli Ori,

Pistoia Pistoia (, is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of a province of the same name, located about west and north of Florence and is crossed by the Ombrone Pistoiese, a tributary of the River Arno. It is a typi ...

, 2008.

References

External links

Menashe Kadishman Dani Karavan Centro D'arte contemporanea Pecci Prato Villa Celle {{DEFAULTSORT:Barzel, Amnon 1935 births Living people Israeli curators Israeli non-fiction writers Directors of museums in Italy