Six Israeli Artists, One Unbreakable Bond: New TAU Exhibition Reveals Hidden Treasures
In the heart of Tel Aviv University, a new exhibition is turning the spotlight on the personal bonds that shaped Israeli art. Something to Hold On To, now open at the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, brings together never-before-seen letters, diaries, sketchbooks, and photographs from six pioneering Israeli artists. For the first time, the public can glimpse the intimate connections that sustained these creators through war, upheaval, and the birth of a nation.
What is the Something to Hold On To exhibition?
The exhibition centers on three pairs of artists whose lives and work intersected across generations. Hedwig Grossman and Rudi Lehmann fled Germany in 1933, bringing their artistic vision to the Land of Israel. Siona Shimshi and Jachin Hirsch were born in Tel Aviv in the 1930s, part of the first generation of native-born Israeli artists. Menashe Kadishman and Igael Tumarkin, who studied under Lehmann in the 1950s, complete the trio of pairs, their decades-long correspondence with their mentor now on display.
All materials come from the Ziffer House Archive: Documentation and Research Center of Israeli Visual Arts, and this marks their first public viewing. The exhibition offers a rare window into the human side of artistic creation, showing how these giants of Israeli culture supported, inspired, and challenged one another.
How did the Israel-Hamas War shape this exhibition?
The title itself emerged from a deeply personal conversation between curators Hila Cooper and Roni Kochavi during the darkest days of the Israel-Hamas War. With hostages still held in Gaza, the curators sought meaning in a turbulent period.
We tried to talk about what we were feeling at that time and what had become important to us in such a turbulent and difficult period, Cooper explained.
For Cooper, that anchor was family. I was also swept into the 'baby boom' of the war, and there was my third child, the little one who is now in kindergarten. He was with me right from the moment we started working on the exhibition, and he was really my something to hold on to.
The title carries a second, archival meaning. As Cooper noted, These collections exist today because somebody held on to these materials. The photographs, letters, sketches, work processes, correspondence between artists, drawings that artists gave one another. It survived and reached us, and today it is an important document, thanks to those who chose not to throw them.
Who are the six artists featured?
Hedwig Grossman and Rudi Lehmann: Pioneers of Israeli art
Grossman, hailed as the mother of artistic ceramics in Israel, and Lehmann, a celebrated sculptor, arrived in the 1930s as part of the aliyah. Though Lehmann was not Jewish, he embraced the Zionist story through his partnership with Grossman, who was active in Germany's Zionist movement. Together, they built an artistic hub in their new homeland.
Cooper admits she felt a personal connection to this pair. Grossman was known as a rigid woman, very pedantic, she said. But the archive revealed a different side. When we dived into the materials, we felt we were really discovering a woman. Suddenly, you see a much softer and more romantic side of her. It is the personal materials that allow you to understand the professional practice in a different context.
Siona Shimshi and Jachin Hirsch: A muse and her documentarian
A generation later, Hirsch, a photographer and documentarian, turned his lens on his partner Shimshi. She was his constant subject and muse, Cooper said. The exhibition showcases photographs of her in New York in the early 1960s, at the Williams House in Eilat in 1965, in Paris, and even asleep, captured over the years into her later life.
Menashe Kadishman and Igael Tumarkin: Honoring the teacher
Kadishman and Tumarkin entered the exhibition through the archives of the other artists, as both studied under Lehmann. Cooper noted, We saw how they stayed in touch with him for years, for decades, how they exchanged letters, and how they valued him. It is not something to be taken for granted, to stay in touch with your teacher from the very beginning of the road and to keep it up for decades.
Kadishman even drew himself in letters as a small figure holding a flower, a motif Lehmann had used in his early portraits, a touching homage. Tumarkin, who shared a German heritage with Lehmann, seemed to seek a father figure. Cooper said carefully, Tumarkin saw in Rudi some kind of father figure. He sent him letters later on, and you see that he wanted Rudi to appreciate him.
Why is this exhibition a 'rabbit hole' of discovery?
Condensing tens of thousands of archival items into a single exhibition was no small feat. Cooper calls the work Sisyphean but loves it. You can go in there and never come out, like a rabbit hole, she said.
For Israelis and friends of Israel, this exhibition is more than an art show. It is a testament to the resilience of the Jewish spirit, the power of mentorship, and the bonds that hold a people together through every trial. As the Psalmist wrote, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity (Psalm 133:1). These artists, through their letters and sketches, remind us that our strength lies in our connections.
Visit the exhibition
Something to Hold On To runs through the end of January 2027 at the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery, 64 Haim Levanon St., TAU, next to Gate 7. Curators: Roni Kochavi and Hila Cooper. Entry is free. Hours: Tue. and Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Wed., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Something to Hold On To exhibition located?
The exhibition is at the Genia Schreiber University Art Gallery on the Tel Aviv University campus, at 64 Haim Levanon St., next to Gate 7.
How long will the exhibition be open?
The exhibition runs through the end of January 2027. Admission is free.
What kind of materials are on display?
The show features letters, diaries, sketchbooks, and photographs from the Ziffer House Archive, many of which have never been shown publicly before.