About: Yaacov Agam
an Israeli painter and artist, born in 1928 in Rishon Le Zion - where he grew up and studied. As a child Agam studied in a "cheder" (Judaism school), and according to him, his art was deeply influenced by mystical tendencies in Judaism. He Later studied art at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, and after that in Zurich and Paris.
When he first began his artistic career he worked on developing the "op art", an art form which features optical deceptions, meaning that the work changes according to the location of the viewer in relation to it.
Later he created sculptures that combined water, fire and music and were operated by computerized control. His known works in Tel Aviv are the fountain called Fire and Water, located at the Dizengoff Square, and the colorful facade of the Dan Hotel facing the Tel Aviv Promenade. Over the years, Agam received many awards and since the 1950s his works can be found in important collections. His works have been exhibited in major exhibitions and museums across the world, including the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), the Guggenheim in New York and the Pompidou Center in Paris - where his work “Salon Agam” is included in the museum’s top list of collection masterpieces.
Agam's works are also posted on famous sites such as the Élysée Palace in Paris, the White House in Washington, Beit HaNassi, and the Western Wall plaza, as well as the Israel Museum and the Tel Aviv Museum where his monumental “Pace of Time” welcomes visitors entering the museum.
The Yaacov Agam Museum of Art was established in Rishon Letzion, exhibiting many of his works. Agam's art allows us to see the "transition to what is seen" and to experience art reflecting a reality of formation and constant movement - a reality that cannot be represented as a single image, in which change is the only constant.
