European Art in the Israel Museum

The Department of European Art houses some 1,500 objects and artworks dating from the 15th to the 19th century. This is the first book to present a selection of works from the Museum’s European Art collection; the sumptuous reproductions offer a taste of the works’ beauty, and the division into sections – “Faith,” “Mythology,” “Daily Life,” “Portrait,” and “Landscape” – highlights the collection’s variety and abundance. Each work is accompanied by an essay that provides background on its theme and style, the artist’s influences, teachers, or pupils; often, the text refers to a different work in the collection that supports these insights. The book opens with an introductory essay by the Department’s Chief Curator surveying the collection’s development over the years and its uniqueness among similar collections in museums abroad, in light of its growth as part of the Bezalel Museum (predecessor of the Israel Museum), its organic connection with Jewish donors, and the traces it bears of historical events.

Bilingual Hebrew-English edition 2025

Semi-hard cover, 175 pages