The Herzliya Museum – Staying up-to-date with contemporary international art

More than just the beach, great shopping and fine restaurants: one of the city’s central and most interesting attractions is the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Herzliya Museum has won itself a reputation in the international art scene thanks to many years of dedicated curation work and exhibitions which consistently put on display selected Israeli and international contemporary works.

The museum has been operating since 1965 in the center of town, surrounded by shops and cafés, and includes nine showrooms displaying the various forms of plastic art: painting, sculpturing, photography, installation art and video art.

Every year the Museum puts on display dozens of solo exhibitions which are integrated within clusters under a common name and theme.

These exhibitions often deal with contemporary issues which are of relevance to an international audience, such as minority and gender issues.

Take the opportunity to stay up-to-date with the hottest names and trends in international art: if you cannot attend the Venice Biennale, why not visit Herzliya.

reflection – The Herzliya Museum

The Museum’s head curator (since 2014) is Dr. Aya Luria, who brought with her a rich curating experience, especially in photography. Luria ascribes particular importance to the connection between the Museum and the community; between art and its consumers – all the more so in a relatively small museum which allows for a more intimate encounter between its audience and art – an encounter meant to encourage reflection and foster different perspectives on the political and social reality.

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The central guiding line for the Museum’s curation in the last two decades has been to advance young Israeli artists and to establish a platform for their promotion, alongside prominent international artists. The Museum has thus exhibited works by Adi Nes and Ben Hagari, long before they were discovered by major museums in London and New York.

After a long process initiated and led by the museum’s former curator, Dalia Levin, it has thus established its prominent position in Israel’s contemporary art scene.

It is not unlikely, therefore, that during your visit to the Museum you will be introduced to excellent works by a young artist whose art will one day be exhibited around the world.

interesting video art – The Herzliya Museum

Most of the Museum’s exhibitions include interesting video art, presented on large or small screens. At times the screening are is furnished with couches or benches which enable the audience to take a profound look at works by the best Israeli and international artists, such as William Kentridge, Bill Viola and Michal Rovner.

The Museum’s permanent exhibition, titled Collection +, is displayed at the main entrance. The plus refers to additions to the exhibition – works by contemporary artists which communicate with the collection’s older works.

The Museum’s goal of promoting an intimate encounter between its audience and works finds expression in Vitrina – the Museum’s one-of-a-kind shop: instead of the classic, high-end expensive museum shop, Vitrina is an initiative which offers small art pieces at relatively affordable prices, between 400 to 4,000 NIS, and mainly useful objects designed by artists.

The shop is the brainchild of Dana Gilerman, a former art correspondent at the Ha’aretz newspaper and a tremendously knowledgeable and experienced curator of contemporary art. The will to enable everyone to have a work of art at home and enjoy it on a daily basis motivated Gilerman to develop a collection of unique artifacts created by leading Israeli artists such as Sigalit Landau and Uri Katzenstein. Among other items on sale, you will find at the shop temporary tattoos, jewelry, printed porcelain pieces and framed illustrations to hang in your living room.

It is advisable to call (09-9551011) of check the Museum’s website regarding opening and closing hours and the exhibition’s schedule.

After a visit to the Museum you can relax along the lawn (which is in fact an open sculpture garden) at Café Nisu, which is also the best pastry shop in Herzliya, and enjoy fine coffee and pastries.
For more art to introduce at home, continue from the museum to the high-end designer shops at Herzliya’s industrial zone. Here you can find shops which practically function as galleries: meticulously designed, full of style and artifacts by prominent brands such as Pietro Hecht on Galgal Haplada Street and Storia on Hamenofim.

And if you still haven’t had enough of high quality creativity, try Herzliya’s Cinemateque at the center of town, a few minutes’ walk from the museum, where you can go every night to watch selected modern films from international festivals or cinema classics.