Biography:
Internationally acclaimed for his pioneering contributions to the kinetic and optical art movements, Yaacov Agam is most certainly the preeminent Israeli artist working today. Record-breaking sales at international auction houses fuel the excitement for this artist as does the recent opening of the Agam Museum of Art near Tel Aviv.
Agam began his career studying art in Israel and Switzerland, focusing on color theory and spirituality. Starting in 1951 with his first solo exhibition in Paris, Agam sought to include the viewer in his spiritual approach. The viewer becomes integral with his work as it is the movement of the person that changes the perspective triggering the feeling that the art is moving. His non-figurative compositions which rely on geometric forms and color create these fanciful illusions. Always an innovator, Agam created a new method of printmaking, the Agamograph, utilizing lenticular printing, his innovative technique creating the illusion of movement in his two-dimensional works.
Of his many public sculptures, the Hanukkah Menorah at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in New York City is quite notable. It stands 32 feet-high, gold colored, 4,000 pound steel structure, and is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the Largest Hanukkah Menorah.
Photo credit:
WikiArt
Publications:
- Mandelbaum, Bernard. Agam: Art and Judaism. Jeruselam: Keter Publishing House, 1985
- Popper, Frank. Agam. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1983
Selected Collections:
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC
Selected Exhibitions:
- Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1996
- Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1980
- Musée National d Art Moderne, Paris, France, 1972-73