Dov Karmi ( he, דב כרמי; ‎1905 – 14 May 1962) was a renowned

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Mandate Palestine Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 i ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Biography

Dov Karmi was born in 1905, the son of Hannah and Sholom Weingarten, in

Zhvanets Zhvanets ( uk, Жванець) is a village (a '' selo'') in Kamianets-Podilskyi Raion (district) of Khmelnytskyi Oblast in Western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Zhvanets rural hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The village's po ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. In 1921 the Weingartens emigrated with their children to Mandatory Palestine, the future State of Israel. Building on Idelson st

He initially studied art at the Bezalel School of Art and Craft,

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, but was attracted to architecture and went to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

to complete his studies in this field at

Ghent University Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

. Karmi worked in partnership with several other architects, including

Zeev Rechter Ze'ev ( he, זאב \ זְאֵב ''zeév''), also spelled Zeev or Zev, is a name of Hebrew origin which means wolf. The given name is a masculine form used among Ashkenazi Jews. It is a Biblical name, adapted from a reference to Benjamin in Genesi ...

and, later in life, with his son

Ram Karmi Ram Karmi ( he, רם כרמי; 1931 – 11 April 2013) was an Israeli architect. He was head of the Tel Aviv-based Ram Karmi Architects company, and is known for his Brutalist architecture, Brutalist style. Biography Ram Karmi was born in Jerusale ...

. During his professional career he designed more than two hundred buildings, mostly in Tel Aviv . Karmi's main style was modernist; he influenced a generation of Israeli architects.

Israel Prize

In 1957, Karmi was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

, for

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, the first recipient of the Prize in this field.

Family

Karmi married Haia Maklev; the couple had two children, both of whom became notable architects. In 2002, Karmi's son,

, was awarded the Israel Prize for architecture and Carmi's daughter,

Ada Karmi-Melamede Ada Karmi-Melamede ( he, עדה כרמי-מלמד; born 1936) is a noted Israeli architect. Biography Karmi-Melamede was born on December 24, 1936, in Tel Aviv, in Mandate Palestine (now Israel). She studied at the Architectural Association S ...

, was awarded the Israel Prize for architecture, in 2007.

Major buildings

Max-Liebling House Max Liebling House is a Bauhaus-style modernist building in Tel Aviv, Israel. Located at 29 Idelson Street, it was designed by architect Dov Karmi and built by Tony and Max Liebling in 1936. History Max Leibling house was the first building in the ...

, Tel Aviv, 1936 * Culture Palace, Tel Aviv, 1957 (with

and

Yaakov Rechter Yaakov Rechter (14 June 1924 – 26 February 2001) ( he, יעקב רכטר) was an Israeli architect and an Israel Prize recipient. Biography Yaakov Rechter was born to Paula Singer and the architect Zeev Rechter on 14 June 1924 in Tel ...

)

Contributions

* The

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...

(Jerusalem, 1958-1966) was built after an initial plan by Joseph Klarwein, with modifications by Shimon Powsner, Dov and

, Bill Gillitt, and an interior design by

Dora Gad Dora Gad (Hebrew דורה גד; b. 1912, d. 31 December 2003) was an Israeli interior designer, whose work had significant influence on the development of modern Israeli architecture. Biography Dora Siegel (later Gad) was born in Câmpulung, Ro ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karmi, Dov Architects in Mandatory Palestine Israeli architects Architects from Odesa Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design alumni Ghent University alumni Israel Prize in architecture recipients Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Odesa Jews 1905 births 1962 deaths 20th-century Israeli architects