The international artist and Israel Prize winner Yaakov Agam passed away today (Sunday) at the age of 98.
Agam was recognized worldwide as one of the founders of the Kinetic Art movement.
His funeral will take place tomorrow at the Rehovot Cemetery at 5:00 PM. Prior to that, his coffin will be placed in the plaza of the Agam Museum in Rishon LeZion from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Agam was born in Rishon LeZion in 1928, one of seven brothers and sisters in the Gibstein family.
As a child, he studied at the Heder School, and as an adult, he studied at the Bezalel Academy of Fine Arts in Jerusalem, and continued his studies in the field in Zurich and Paris, where he has lived since the 1950s. Initially, he engaged in a twist on the art of "op art," which deals with optical illusions.
At the age of 27, he exhibited colorful wooden reliefs at the "Movement" exhibition in Paris, and in the 1970s he created sculptures that combined water, fire, and music, including the "Water and Fire" fountain in Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv. In addition, he developed the "Agmograph" technique for display using Plexiglas, designed stamps, invented the "Agmilim" writing method, created a program for visual education, and collaborated with the Weizmann Institute on the "Agam Program" for developing visual thinking for preschoolers.
He has presented numerous exhibitions around the world.
In 2017, an art museum named after him opened in Rishon LeZion.
Egam was awarded two honorary doctorates - from Tel Aviv University and the College of Management. In 1985 he was awarded the Israel Museum Prize. On Independence Day this year, he was awarded the 'Israel Prize' in the field of art.
Agam was close to Chabad Hasidism. In the early 1950s, he began to approach Judaism and Hasidism through his friend Yosef Ciechanover, who was the Director General of the Foreign Ministry and a senior member of the Israeli security establishment - who brought him to a meeting with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. During the meeting, the Rebbe spoke with him and took an interest in his artistic work.
In 1987, Agam designed, according to the method of Maimonides and according to the Rebbe's instructions, a model of the menorah that is lit every year during Hanukkah at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan. The menorah was recognized as the largest in the world, and Agam brought a miniature model of it to the Rebbe at the dollar distribution.
Agam's wife was a descendant of Baal Tanya.
He left behind three children, from his marriage to his late wife, Kalila. His brother, Hananiah Gibstein, served as mayor of Rishon LeZion from 1969-1983.
