NEW EXHIBIT EXPLORES MIRO’S SPANISH DANCER MOTIF
The Israel Museum Jerusalem recently opened the second exhibition in its “Focus” series, which takes as its starting point two works from the Museum’s own holdings: Joan Miró’s Painting (Spanish Dancer), 1927, and his drawing Untitled (Spanish Dancer), 1924. The exhibition is on view through June 29, 2013.
Miró’s fascination with Spanish dancers unfolds through a series of paintings, drawings, and sketches produced over a period of sixty years. The fifteen works on display, from the Museum’s collection and on loan from international institutions and private collections, draw on symbols and imagery recurrent in Miró’s oeuvre and are rendered through a profusion of artistic styles.
NEW EXHIBIT CHRONICLES HISTORY OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE
A new exhibition consisting of four monumental paintings of Moshe Rosenthalis (1922-2008) during the years 1978-1980 depicting a visual narrative of the history of the Jewish People is currently on display through July 2013 at Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv. The series titles are arranged in chronological order: The Exodus; From the Inquisition to the Immigration to the Land of Israel; From the Israeli War of Independence to the Settlement of the Negev Desert; Jerusalem.
The paintings were commissioned by businessman Saul Eisenberg for the board room of ‘Asia House’ in Tel Aviv, allowing for only a small number of executives to see Rosenthalis’ works. Organizers of the exhibit at Beit Hatfutsot have now made it possible for the works to be viewed to the general public for the first time.
ANCIENT WINE PRESS UNCOVERED NEAR THE SPA OF HAMEI YO’AV
Remains of a Byzantine settlement with a notable wine press were recently excavated on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) near Hamei Yo’av, near Ashkelon, during salvage excavations prior to the construction of a banqueting garden in the area.
According to the director of the excavation, the owner of the wine press was likely Christian as exemplified by a ceramic lantern found nearby, which was decorated with five crosses. The lantern has the shape of a miniature church building; an oval opening on one side served to insert an oil lamp. The other sides of the lantern were decorated in geometric patterns, creating a design of palm branches.
The crosses adorned the walls of the lantern, so when the lantern was lit, crosses were projected on the walls and the ceiling. The wine press at Hamei Yoav and three similar wine presses are located along the ancient road leading from Beit Guvrin to ancient Ashkelon and its port, thereby facilitating the transportation of wine to Ashkelon and onward from the port of Ashkelon to Europe and North Africa. The wine press will undergo conservation and will be incorporated into the modern complex of the banqueting garden, near the spa of Hamei Yo’av.
