Alternative Tel Aviv Art Tours

Alternative Tel Aviv specializes in graffiti and street art. Our urban art walking tours provide a peek into the world of artists and graffiti writers who work and exhibit independently while conducting a dialog with us about the world we all share. The tours examine the past and present of one of the most consistent, widespread and engaging art movements of our time. We also offer gallery tours, architecture tours and special art tours – make sure to ask us about this months special tour. Located in the cultural capital of Israel, Alternative Tel Aviv is always up to date about the latest trends in contemporary art. We offer several unique tours, customized tours and special event tours that correspond to particular art events in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem, Israel. We do mostly private tours for couples or groups, but once in a while we do an open tour to which anyone can join. We publish dates for our open tours on our Facebook page, Instagram account and Twitter profile, be sure to follow to know about the next open tour. Alternative Tel Avivs’ different art tours are a high quality team building activity suited for organizations, families and groups who are searching for enriching content for a day out or a celebration of a special occasion and for art lovers who desire to deepen their knowledge in the fields of contemporary art and urban visual culture.

Join us and discover the real cultural DNA of Israel.

ArtPort Tel Aviv

ARTPORT TELAVIV is the new art arena of The Center for Young Art, a nonprofit organization founded by Mr. Jason Arison, Chairman of The Ted Arison Family Foundation. The Arison family has been a major supporter of the arts for many years, both in Israel and in the United States. Jason initiated and founded The Center for Young Art out of his passion for the arts and his wish to support emerging artists. The Center for Young Art and ARTPORT TEALVIV is one of 5 vision ventures of The Ted Arison Family Foundation. To read more about the Ted Arison Family Foundation, visit us at www.arison.co.il.

Jason Arison wishes ARTPORT TELAVIV to be a home for emerging artists, a place that will be reflected upon as the turning point in the lives of talented artists, and to serve as a platform for an alternative artistic dialogue, between the local contemporary art scene, international organizations and independent artists worldwide. As such, ARTPORT TELAVIV will also benefit the general public, spreading artistic awareness and knowledge locally and internationally, experiencing trends and insights from the contemporary art world.

Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People

Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People, is more than a museum. This unique global institution tells the ongoing and extraordinary story of the Jewish people.

Beit Hatfutsot connects Jewish people to their roots and strengthens their personal and collective Jewish identity. Beit Hatfutsot conveys to the world the fascinating narrative of the Jewish people and the essence of the Jewish culture, faith, purpose and deed while presenting the contribution of world Jewry to humanity.

Beit Hatfutsot 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”.

Owner at Stern Gallery

I am Debby Luzia. Art has always been a part of my life. As a child in London, I would accompany my father to his art gallery and on Saturdays to his little stall at Portobello market. When I was 9 years old we immigrated to Tel-Aviv Israel where he established Stern Gallery in 1971. It seemed only natural to go to art school and become involved in the gallery. That was 30 years ago…. In 2001, I became the owner of Stern Gallery Tel-Aviv , my mission being the promotion of Israeli contemporary painting alongside the classic art the gallery is famous for. I also collect art and this urge to acquire brought me to the academy to research this remarkable phenomenon, surprisingly neglected albeit its popularity. I completing my M.A studies, doing qualitative research on art collectors in Israel and analysing their ways of creating value. In January 2015 I self published my book: Why the Mona Lisa lost her smile, a behind the scenes analysis of the global art world. The Hebrew edition has been very successful and I am now working on the English version.

Design Museum Holon

Design Museum Holon opened in March 2010 and had quickly established itself as one of the world’s leading museums of design and contemporary culture. Housed in an iconic building by the internationally acclaimed architect, Ron Arad, Design Museum Holon is a vital and dynamic resource for designers, students, creative industries and the general public. Each year the Museum presents an exciting and varied program of exhibitions and events each dedicated to helping visitors gain a deeper understanding of design and the role it plays in our lives.

The establishment of Design Museum Holon is a high point in the ongoing process of transforming the city of Holon into an epicenter of culture and education. Over the past decade, the city has introduced a wealth of edification programs, launched cultural festivals, opened new museums and introduced urban art installations, all leading to the enrichment of municipal life. The primary goals of Design Museum Holon are to inspire and challenge the design community and the general public’s perception of design and the way it affects their lives.

Fresh Paint Art Fair

Changing its location every year, this annual event is the largest art event Tel Aviv has to offer. Fresh Paint Fair mixes the big and the small together, when the small galleries are working side by side with the large museums to bring you an art fair you won’t forget. With the support of leading international art institutes, Fresh Paint Fair attracts more than 30,000 art lovers every year.

The fair brings together leading Israeli galleries and significant forces of the Israeli art scene, collaborates with all the Israeli museums, and enjoys the support of leading international art institutions. The fair’s visitors enjoy presentations of the nation’s top galleries, promising emerging galleries and the unique Greenhouse – showcasing the works of select, independent Israeli artists. While following the formula of professional art fairs around the world, Fresh Paint is unique in its role as a launch pad for the careers of up-and-coming, unrepresented artists. The fair’s community projects and fund-raising activities benefit the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and several other nonprofit organizations. Fresh Paint contemporary art fair is an extraordinary opportunity to get to know the energetic Israeli art scene.

Lunada – Children’s Museum

Lunada is an experiential museum, the first of its kind in Israel. Innovative, interactive and fun for the whole family, encouraging activity and learning for all ages at an international level.

We would like to invite you, children and adults, to come and share a special, colorful, emotional, educational and innovative experience that will leave you thirsty for more.

The museum is housed in a 4,000 sq.m, 3-story facility that includes eight knowledge spaces with over 50 exhibits and installations in addition to unique outdoor areas. Each area features a different aspect of the world we live in and allows children to experience the various layers of reality and to discover themselves and their place in personal life, family life, public and social lives, as individuals and as part of a group.

Through play in the museum’s unique areas, children are exposed to significant parts of their own world and practice important aspects of daily life such as time management, money and food, experiencing situations of interpersonal communication, meeting the world of culture and art, the solar system and unique features of planet Earth.

Contemporary Art Curator at Tel Aviv Museum of Art

I am an Art critic, curator and lecturer. I hold a B.A in Art History & Classical Studies, from Tel Aviv University and an M.A from the Department of Poetics and Comparative Literature, Tel Aviv University (cum laude). I was the Chief Curator, Haifa Museum of art since 2011, and today I am the Contemporary Art curator at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. I was an Art critic of “Ha’ir”, a weekly magazine, between the years 1995-2005, served as an Art critic of Yedioth Ahronoth, the daily newspaper, between 2005 – 2008, and wrote a blog – Ha’Zofa – between 2008-2009. I also write reviews and articles for catalogs, magazines and other publications. In 2005 I published a book “Contemporary Art I am talking to you” (published by Sal Tarbut Artzi publishing house). I lecture about contemporary art and Israeli art in general.

Director at The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

Shai is a graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and Harvard University, and the highly respected director of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo for the last 18 years. Shai built the zoo himself and was instrumental in introducing the idea that the Zoo is one of the leaders of educational change and protection of the environment and nature. The Zoo strives to return to nature a variety of animals which are in danger of extinction. All of the animals in the zoo were born to animals in other zoos and none are taken from their natural habitat. Under Shai’s directorship, the Zoo has become the number 1 tourist destination in Israel for paid attractions and serves as a meeting point for a large variety of Israelis and non-Israelis from all walks of society.

Sommer Contemporary Art Gallery

Sommer Contemporary Art was founded in 1999 by Irit Fine Sommer. Since its opening the gallery has been committed to promoting Israeli artists in the international art scene, as well as representing and exhibiting leading international artists in Israel and abroad. The gallery is distinguished by the deep relationships it develops with artists, from emerging and mid-career to established, by regularly collaborating with museums, biennials and publishing houses, and creating meaningful exhibitions and publications. International artists are often invited by the gallery to conduct extensive research and create specially-curated projects. They regularly present site-specific installations in the gallery’s space, works that are formed out of a continuing dialogue and that cannot be witnessed in other venues. In addition to these,Sommer Contemporary Art aims to bring artistic exchange, experimentation and discussion to the forefront. In the gallery’s project room, “S2”, young curators receive an opportunity to curate small scale exhibitions of emerging artists. The purpose of this initiative is to support the curatorial role and allow for diverse theoretical discussion to take place within the gallery compounds.

Steinhardt Natural History Museum

The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History houses Israel’s national natural history collections, including five and a half million animals and plants that tell the story of biodiversity in Israel and the Middle East during the past century. Thousands of items from the collection are on display in the museum’s galleries.

Taglit State of Mind Innovation Center

Israel is widely known as the “start-up nation” and is recognized as a major player in the fields of innovation, R & D and entrepreneurship. Taglit-Birthright Israel built the “State of Mind” Innovation Center in partnership with The Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange. The exciting and cutting-edge Innovation Center allows you to learn about the new advancements Israeli Start-Ups are making in different fields, such as science, medicine, security, space and more. The center offers groups up to 50 people a 40 minute guided tour, and in addition there is a presentation hall for lectures and more.

Marketing Consultant at Steinhardt Natural History Museum

Tamar is the former Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning at the Holon Design Museum, and currently is consulting the new Steinhardt Museum of Natural History as they develop their marketing strategy.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Tel Aviv Museum of Art is a municipal museum, one of Israel’s leading artistic and cultural institutions. The museum comprises 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. In addition to its extensive program of permanent and changing exhibitions, the museum offers a vibrant selection of programs and activities for adults, youth and children: concerts, classes, lectures, guided tours, workshops, and more. The museum was envisioned and founded in 1932 by the first Mayor of Tel Aviv, Meir Dizengoff, in his private home on Rothschild Boulevard. Since then, it has changed locations and developed significantly. The museum’s collection, which originally comprised only a few dozen items, has grown steadily – in great part through generous donations by collectors and artists, and thanks to the dedication and support of the museum’s local and international committees and friends. The museum is currently situated in three main buildings: The Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art, built in the heart of the city in 1959, was the museum’s abode for twelve years and today showcases mainly temporary exhibitions; the Main Building on Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, which opened in 1971; and adjacent to it, the new Herta and Paul Amir Building, inaugurated in the Fall of 2011, which doubled the museum’s exhibition space. Designed by American architect Preston Scott Cohen, this innovative building is an international landmark at the center of Tel Aviv, Israel’s cultural capital. The museum’s extended exhibition space also includes the Lola Beer Ebner Sculpture Garden, and Nata’s Garden. The Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Art Education Center, operating from its own building since 1988 and offering a wide variety of art workshops, is also an integral part of the museum.

The Center for Contemporary Art

The Center for Contemporary Art is Israel’s foremost institution for the commissioning and presentation of experimental contemporary art, and as such is a vibrant place of inspiration, provocation, and reflection. Situated in the heart of Tel Aviv, the CCA is a registered nonprofit organization that produces four to six unique large-scale exhibitions annually, often focusing on time-based or site-specific practices by outstanding local and international artists. Along with exhibitions, the CCA organizes a wide variety of public programming, including panels, screenings, artist talks, and performances that challenge perceived notions and stimulate debate, experimentation, and engagement.

The CCA is housed in a municipal building that contains two exhibition spaces and an auditorium in its approximately 300 square meter facilities. These spaces often come to life through solo exhibitions, and have housed the work of major international artists who have not shown in Israel before, including Marina Abramovic, Sharon Lockhart, Gary Hill, Rosa Barba, and Christian Jankowski. Many important Israeli artists have had their first institutional solo exhibitions at the CCA, including Yael Bartana, Guy Ben Ner, Roee Rosen, Nir Evron, Michal Helfman, and Nira Pereg. Most exhibitions are accompanied by catalogues with commissioned texts that contextualize these artists’ practices and further the discussions they spur among Israeli and international audiences.

The Israel Children’s Museum

The Israeli Children’s Museum is an educational-cultural institution providing unique learning experiences which are one of a kind in Israel. Since its opening in 2001, more than two million visitors of all ages have visited the museum. The museum offers visitors a variety of activities which share the common feature of adventures that incorporate emotional intelligence, education for tolerance and acceptance of the other. All activities are guided and require pre booking. The Israeli Children’s Museum is about creating tolerance and dialogue among all of Israel’s children. The use of adventures and exhibitions which are an experience rather than a static space is what makes the difference for all visitors, not just those under 12. The visit to the Israeli Children’s Museum in Holon is an unforgettable experience, and is designed to take the visitors on a fascinating adventure through the world of imagination and communication. Our Vision is that children and adults have the potential to be and learn almost anything via experience. They can learn how to address one another with respect and interest, understand the difficulties of others who live with disabilities and find new ways to communicate with those who are different. The Israeli Children’s Museum has set as a goal to promote tolerance, respectful dialogue and non-violent communication between all Israeli children of all backgrounds and ethnicities. Their respect for one another is the very heart of our future relations as a nation.

The Israel Museum

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. Founded in 1965, the Museum houses encyclopedic collections, including works dating from prehistory to the present day, in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. Thanks to a legacy of gifts and generous support from its circle of patrons worldwide, the Museum has built a far-ranging collection of some 500,000 objects, representing the full scope of world material culture.

In the summer of 2010, the Israel Museum completed the most comprehensive upgrade of its 20-acre campus in its history, featuring new galleries, entrance facilities, and public spaces. The three-year expansion and renewal project was designed to enhance visitor experience of the Museum’s collections, architecture, and surrounding landscape, complementing its original design by Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad. Led by James Carpenter Design Associates of New York and Efrat-Kowalsky Architects of Tel Aviv, the project also included the complete renewal and reconfiguration of the Museum’s Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology Wing, Edmond and Lily Safra Fine Arts Wing, and Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Wing for Jewish Art and Life.

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo

The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, also known as the Biblical Zoo, opened in Jerusalem’s Malha neighborhood in 1993, having been located in various locations in Jerusalem since 1941. The establishment of the zoo in its present form was made possible thanks to the generosity of Tisch family of New York, under the auspices of the Jerusalem Foundation. The dedication ceremony took place in the presence of the President of the State of Israel at the time, the late Chaim Herzog.

The Zoo was designed by Miller-Blum & Associates Landscape Architects, and was constructed by the Moriah-Jerusalem Development Corporation. Stretching across almost 100 acres, the Zoo is ranked year after year as one of the top tourist sites in Israel, attracting over 750,000 visitors annually. The Zoo’s scenic location in the Judean hills with its varied animal exhibits, draws people from all threads of Jerusalem’s vibrant social fabric – Jewish, Christian and Muslim; secular and religious: young and old; and tourists and locals. Thus the Zoo has become a bridge between communities. It is one of the few sites in Israel where everyone comes together and feels welcome.

The Zoo is a non-profit organization created by a partnership consisting of the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem Development Authority and the Jerusalem Foundation. The Zoo’s Board of Directors has distinguished individuals from local government, business and academia; and our Professional International Advisory Committee is comprised of leading nature conservationists from Israel and abroad. The Biblical Zoo receives no governmental or municipal operations subsidies. It is dependent on visitors for operational expenses and on friends in Israel and abroad for special capital projects, wildlife conservation and education programs.

The Night Spectacular at the Tower of David Museum

The walls of the Citadel serve as a stage for a nightime show which is a celebration of sight and sound. Amidst the archaeological remains in the Citadel’s courtyard and to the sound of original music, the story of Jerusalem unfolds through giant breathtaking, virtual reality images. The Night Spectacular uses trompe l’oeil technology – the stones of the walls and structures fade into the scenes and the screened images envelop the viewers and whisk them off to a one-of-a-kind multi-sensory experience.
Innovative techniques and a sophisticated computer system operate 20 projectors, 10 video players, 14 computers and 14 loudspeakers. All this in addition to some 10 kilometers of cable and two projection rooms. The Night Spectacular, the first of its kind in the world, is for everyone – tourists from Israel and abroad, families, speakers of all languages and all Jerusalem lovers.

Tower of David Museum of History of Jerusalem

The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem is located in the medieval citadel known as the Tower of David, near the Jaffa Gate, the historic entrance to the Old City. The Museum presents Jerusalem’s story. It details the major events in its history beginning with the first evidence of a city in Jerusalem in the second millennium BCE, until the city became the capital of the State of Israel, as well as its significance to three religions. The permanent exhibition illustrates the city’s history along the axis of time using myriad methods and includes explanations in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The Citadel itself is a fascinating archaeological site. The finds uncovered within are a testimony to Jerusalem’s eventful past and produce a representation of Jerusalem and its various historical periods in microcosm. The Citadel’s towers offer a 360-degree view of the Old City of Jerusalem as well as the city’s modern areas.

In addition to being a museum of history, the Tower of David relates to both the past and the future. The museum stages temporary exhibitions which integrate the unique location and majesty of the ancient Citadel and its history with a contemporary presentation of artistic and historical issues. The museum also hosts lectures and special events in music, dance and drama as well as dozens of educational activities and programs. The museum also stages a unique sound and light show – The Night Spectacular – the only one of its kind in the world. The Night Spectacular tells the story of Jerusalem. It is a celebration of sounds, music and breathtaking images the envelop the viewer into a multi-sensory experience. Cultures, religions, rukers and legeds are projected on the ancient walls and magically appear among the archaeological remains of Jerusalem’s citadel. In order to better tell the story of Jerusalem, the Tower of David Museum has pioneered the use of new and interactive digital technologies, games and apps for children, families and adults that, along with our traditional activities, enrich the visitor experience.

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