מוקדי – ביקור חוזר

Mokady Revisit

Ein Hod Art Gallery
June 17 – September 9, 2023
Curators: Dr. Tali Tamir, Zeela Kotler Hadari

This special tribute exhibition honors the painter Moshe Mokady, one of Israel’s most prominent artists, the legendary director of the Avni Institute of Painting and Sculpture, a musician, teacher, educator, theater set and costume designer, social activist, co-founder of Ein Hod, and an avowed individualist.

The exhibition Mokady: A Visit Reconsidered delved back into the depths of the studio and estate of Mokady (1902–1975), who lived and created in Ein Hod. It brings to light the complexities of his personality and his wide-ranging body of work—focusing particularly on his transitions from dark to light, from realism to abstraction, from isolation and withdrawal to public action, and from the intimacy of the domestic interior to the illuminated world outside.

Alongside introverted and somber paintings of interiors and still lifes, the exhibition features large-format abstract paintings rendered in vibrant orange and golden hues. A selection of his stage and costume designs for theater productions at Habima, Ohel, and The Cameri theaters between the 1930s and 1960s is projected within the space. At the center of the exhibition is a screening of a 1971 archival film by director Bella Baram, in which Mokady himself explains and analyzes his art. The film is shown courtesy of Rami Lotan.

Mokady: A Visit Reconsidered is part of a series of tributes dedicated to artists who lived and worked in the artists' village, which Mokady helped found. His unique personality and diverse oeuvre reveal a multi-talented artist who insisted on a deeply personal path and refused to fall in line with mainstream trends. He always safeguarded the artist's private moment in the studio, keeping it separate from his other personas as a teacher, educator, and shaper of national arts policy in the public sphere.

The works presented in the exhibition are courtesy of the Nina Mokady Hayon Collection.