Arts and Culture Activities in Israel

Israel has plenty of spaces specially dedicated to fans of arts and culture. If you are planning to come to this side of the world, there might be no need for you to stop in Paris or Barcelona to enjoy a few very exciting museums, plays, and dancing performances. You can find that, and much more in Israel: The land of milk, honey, arts, and culture.

From gorgeous art galleries in Tel Aviv to spectacular museums in Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel can be a phenomenal place for those who are trying to find the next Picasso or the next upcoming biggest star in the world of dancing and performance.

So, if you are coming to Israel and you love artists, installations, shows, and even Opera, take a look at this list we have prepared for you. Try not to miss any spot, and let us know your opinion about these places in the comments below.

Although this article is centered on places focused on art and culture and not on experiential museums like the Blind Museum in Holon, we’d love to write about these other kinds of museums very soon. If you have some ideas to share, please do so in the comments below.

Art Galleries

If you are looking to visit an art gallery to meet the newest, trendiest artists, there are many places you cannot miss on your next visit to Israel. Here we show you a few amazing galleries that will exhibit the most amazing contemporary artists from both Israel and around the world:

Dvir Gallery

Located in south Tel Aviv, very near the Central Station of the white city, Dvir Gallery represents dozens of contemporary artists from all over the globe. Artists like Naama Tsabar, Ariel Schlesinger, and Pavel Wolberg, among others, exhibit their latest creations in this well-known gallery with another location in the heart of Brussels.

Some of the people who know the most about art in the country are the people from Dvir Gallery, and it is a must for every art collector out there. Do not miss this magical spot!

Noga Gallery

Also in the south of Tel Aviv, Noga Gallery offers its visitors an exhibition with a variety of contemporary art artists. In this gallery, you can find artists like Ori Gersht exhibiting all of his wonderful work. Just like Dvir Gallery, Noga also participates in several art fairs around the world, such as Art Basel, for example.

Museums

We know. Israel itself is like an open sky-museum! That being said, we’d like to mention a few of the museums you don’t want to miss on your next visit to this tiny, but extremely interesting country. In case there’s a museum we didn’t mention and you think is relevant to add to the list, feel free to comment in the comments below and we’ll make sure to review it.

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The Museum of the Jewish People

Originally called The Diaspora Museum, and located inside the wonderful Tel Aviv University, this place is, in their very own words “more than a Museum. This unique global institution tells the ongoing and extraordinary story of the Jewish people.”

Their main goal is to connect Jewish people to their roots and to strengthen their Jewish identity. The Museum opened in 1978 thanks to the vision of Nahum Goldmann, president of the World Jewish Congress 1954-1977. In 2005, the Israeli Knesset passed the Beit Hatfutsot Law that defines Beit Hatfutsot as “the National Center for Jewish communities in Israel and around the world”.

The Israel Museum in Jerusalem

Opened in 1965, this is a surprising, astonishing, amazing, outstanding place! The Israel Museum is the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and is ranked among the world’s leading art and archaeology museums.

If you are a fan of history and archeology, this is your place! The Museum has encyclopedic collections, including works dating from prehistory to the present day, and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. In nearly seventy years, thanks to a legacy of gifts and generous support from its circle of supporters, the Museum has built a stunning collection of nearly 500,000 objects, representing the full scope of world material culture.

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art

In the center of Tel Aviv, and very near the Tel Aviv Court, the gorgeous Tel Aviv Museum of Art receives thousands of visitors every day.

The museum comprises of various departments: The Department of Israeli Art, which holds a comprehensive collection of local art from the beginning of the 20th century to the present; the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, which encompasses international works from the mid-19th century to the present; the Department of Prints and Drawings; the Department of Photography; the Department of Architecture and Design; and the Old Masters Department, with art from the 16th to the 19th century.

This museum works very closely with the Dvir Gallery, mentioned one category above this one!

It is a gorgeous place with beautiful surroundings, so don’t miss the opportunity to visit it, and to walk around… you won’t regret it.

Other artsy places not to miss!

You cannot miss the Haifa Museum of Art, located in the legendary neighborhood of Wadi Nisnas, that some of the authors we presented you in another article discussed so extensively – it is a wonderful place. As the city of coexistence, this perspective can be very different from the one presented in some other museums.

If you happen to be in Jaffa, you must stop at the Ilana Goor Museum. This amazing house presents a collection of crazy, antique objects and art pieces you certainly don’t want to miss.

Theater, ballet and Opera

There are many places for you to visit and enjoy a great show of professional performers. Beit Avi Chai in Jerusalem, the phenomenal Suzanne Dallal in Tel Aviv, and the Bait Gabriel in the Kinneret are only 3 out of the dozens of spectacular places you can find all along Israel to enjoy a nice ballet or theater performance.

HaBima in Tel Aviv or the Jerusalem Theater are also places you don’t want to miss in case you love theater, dance and performing arts in general.

Learn Hebrew today!

Your experience enjoying the art offering in Israel will be much better if you just learn some Hebrew. In our online, live Hebrew courses you’ll meet others like you that for one reason or another want to master the language of our people.

Give it a try and join one of our Hebrew classes today. Let yourself be surprised by the fast and amazing results. Behatzlacha!

About the author

Arie Elbelman R.Arie was born and raised in Chile, and immigrated to Israel in his early twenties. He wants to take an active role in the development of this young and smart country. Arie believes that the best way to shape our present and future is to live with more horizontal hierarchies, to smile a whole lot, and to always, always respect each other.

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