Menashe Kadishman
Scream, 1998
Gift of Dov and Rachel Gottesman, 1999
Tel Aviv Museum of Art Collection
Photo: Elad Sarig
Lynn Chadwick
Two Seated Figures, 1973
Photo: Elad Sarig
Lola Beer Ebner Sculpture Garden in Memory of Dolfi Ebner
The Lola Beer Ebner Sculpture Garden in Memory of Dolfi Ebner is a sunken and shaded courtyard – an urban oasis of peace and tranquility shaded by eucalyptus trees. It is situated between the Museum’s Main Building and the Amir Building. The lowered level of the garden and the trees create a distinctive urban and museum space, intimate but still open to its surroundings, where the interior and the exterior come together.
Prior to the opening of the garden, a spacious display of sculptural works from the Museum’s collection on a regular basis was impossible (although sculpture exhibitions were presented from time to time). Over the years, the collection grew and expanded, with the addition of many sculptures by renowned artists. Marc Scheps, the Museum’s director from 1977 to 1990, managed to add the lot directly West of the Main Building to the land designated for the Museum’s use. Finally, in 1999, as part of the Museum’s physical and artistic expansion, the Lola Beer Ebner Sculpture Garden was established on that site.
The garden, made possible by a donation from the grande dame of Israeli fashion design, Lola Beer Ebner (1910–1997), bears her name. It is but one of many donations for the cultivation of art in Israel made by Lola and Dolfi Ebner over the years to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and other leading institutions.
Lola Beer Ebner Sculpture Garden in Memory of Dolfi Ebner
Photo: Elad Sarig
Although the sculpture garden is modest in size, it includes several significant mile-stones in the development of modern and contemporary art and sculpture in Israel and the world. Notable amongst them is the Tel Aviv–Yafo Mosaic by Italian artist Enzo Cucchi, created specifically for this location in 1999. It forms the path linking the upper level to the lower one. Another remarkable sculpture is Sheep of the Negev (1963) by Israeli artist Yitzhak Danziger. Also featured in the sculpture garden are works by Israeli and international artists like Micha Ullman, Ofer Lellouche, Dov Feigin, Sigalit Landau, Anthony Caro, Lynn Chadwick, and more.
The garden was renovated and refurbished after the inauguration of the Amir building in 2011 and reopened to visitors in 2014. Nowadays it sometimes also features modern and contemporary outdoor sculptures that are part of exhibitions held within the Museum.
Nata's Garden in memory of the artist Nata Dushnitsky-Kaplan (née Levontin)
In 2011, another sculpture garden was erected in the area bounded by the Main Building, the Amir Building, and Berkowitz Street. Nata's Garden is a kind of urban plaza set between buildings. It features two sculptures on permanent display: Sisyphus and Jacob Meet by the Well by Sigalit Landau and Wreaths by Erez Israeli (both winners of the Dan Sandel and the Sandel Family Foundation Sculpture Award). In addition, the garden features changing exhibitions of outdoor sculptures.
Erez Israeli
Wreaths, 2011