Seeing Jerusalem upside down

March 8, 2010 - 9:34 AM by

When the Israel Museum unveils its extensive renovation work in July, museum-goers might be excused for thinking that things were done upside down.

That’s because one of the highlights of the $100 million makeover will be a reflective stainless-steel-surfaced sculpture by world famous artist Anish Kapoor.
According to Bloomberg news, like Kapoor’s “Cloud Gate” piece in Chicago, nicknamed “The Bean,” the 5-meter-high (16 feet) work will provide viewers with a distorted reflection of reality, in this case by inverting its surroundings on an hourglass-shaped mirror, placing the museum’s campus atop the sky.

Kapoor is a British citizen of Indian/Jewish descent who lived and studied in Israel for a few years during the 1970s.

Museum director James Snyder said that the sculpture is a tribute to Teddy Kollek, who served 28 years as the mayor of Israel’s capital, and will “reflect the essence of Teddy’s vision for the museum and its unique placement in the landscape of Jerusalem.”

The renovations at the museum – the most extensive since its opening in 1965 – will double the gallery space and make it more accessible for visitors who come to see such treasures as the Dead Sea Scrolls housed in the Shrine of the Book gallery.

According to Bloomberg, a new underground entrance walkway connects the museum’s buildings and will feature another new piece by artist Olafor Eliasson – a 15-meter-long and 2.4- meter-high wall of 300 individual paintings that comprise a complete spectrum of colors, entitled “Whenever the Rainbow Appears,” based on the story of Noah and the flood.

Snyder told Bloomberg that both Kapoor and the Danish-Icelandic Eliasson were “old friends” of the museum, which already has their works in its collection.

Once the museum unveils its momentous changes this summer, it will surely live up to its name as Israel’s national museum and become firmly ensconced as the one of the ‘must see’ tourist destinations in the country’s capital.

Tags: , , , , • Category: Art, design, General, History and Culture 

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