History
The Debel Gallery was opened in 1973 in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, when the city was a pilgrimage center for curators, journalists and art enthusiasts.
Etienne and
Ruth Debel opened the Gallery in the basement of their home in
Ein Kerem. It represented well-known artists, and discovered new ones. In addition, the Gallery exhibited avant-garde artists, which was unusual for a private gallery; for example, in 1974 the Austrian artist
Rudolf Schwarzkogler
Rudolf Schwarzkogler (13 November 1940 – 20 June 1969) was an Austrian performance artist closely associated with the Viennese Actionism group that included artists Günter Brus, Otto Mühl, and Hermann Nitsch.
He was born the son of a doct ...
, and in 1976 the Gallery staged a performance of "Nidah" by
Yocheved Weinfeld. Among the artists exhibited were the Israeli artists
Yair Garbuz,
Raffi Lavie
Raffi Lavie educator and music/art critic. Lavie's work is a cross between graffiti and abstract expressionism.
Biography
Rafael (Raffi) Lavi was born in Tel Aviv, Mandate Palestine. He began teaching at HaMidrasha – Faculty of the Arts 1966. ...
, Gabriel Cohen,
Yocheved Weinfeld,
Maya Cohen-Levy,
Daniela Passal; internationally famous artists such as
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder (; July 22, 1898 – November 11, 1976) was an American sculptor known both for his innovative mobiles (kinetic sculptures powered by motors or air currents) that embrace chance in their aesthetic, his static "stabiles", and hi ...
,
David Hockney
David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...
and many others. At the same time, the Debel Gallery promoted a group of artists who were considered to be on the "fringe" of the avant-garde artists. They were identified with
Bezalel such as
Zeev Raban,
Meir Gur-Arieh, and
Shmuel Levi
Shmuel Levi ( he, שמואל לוי; March 14, 1884 – July 1966) was an Israeli painter.
Biography
Shmuel Levi (Ophel) was born in Sofia, Bulgaria. The name Opal was added by him as a pen name, yet at some point Levi abandoned it. His artwor ...
; figurative artists such as
Samuel Bak
Samuel Bak ( he, שמואל בק; born 12 August 1933) is a Lithuanian-American painter and writer who survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Israel in 1948. Since 1993, he has lived in the United States.
Biography
Samuel Bak was born in Wilno ( ...
and
Naftali Bezem. There was also a group of new immigrants from the
U.S.S.R.
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
who were also promoted by the Debel Gallery such as
Naftali Bezem,
Alexander Okun,
Valentin Shorr,
Anatoli Basin, and many others.
While curating different exhibitions, Ruth used to interview the exhibiting artists. She recorded their conversations and transcribed them. In a collaboration between Ruth Debel and Mamuta at the Daniela Passal Art and Media Center, selected interviews were bound together into a booklet named ‘Dialogue’.
The Debel Gallery Archive was given to the
Israel Museum in Jerusalem in January 2007. Today the Debel Gallery Archive is housed within the
Information Center for Israeli Art
The Information Center for Israeli Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the Israeli art in Israel. Over 12,000 artists files are housed in the Center in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
History
As a research ...
at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. It includes background material, exhibition histories, photos of invitations from 1973 to 1990, recordings of interviews with artists, correspondence with artists.
References
* Ruth Debel, "What Does It Mean to Be an Israeli Artist?", Art News, (May 1978), p. 55
External links
The Information Center for Israeli Art at the Israel Museum{{Authority control
Art museums and galleries in Israel
Art galleries established in 1973
1973 establishments in Israel