The Tikotin Museum of Japanese art in Haifa, the only museum in the Middle East dedicated to Japanese art and culture, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of new exhibitions and events. The jubilee will be launched with a grand opening on Saturday, May 29th at 8:30 p.m., in the presence of the Japanese Ambassador to Israel, H E. Mr. Haruhisa Takeuchi, the Mayor of Haifa, Mr. Yona Yahav, relatives of Mr. Felix Tikotin the Museum’s founder, and guests from Japan, Holland and Israel.
To mark the occasion, the Museum presents three new exhibitions, namely: Treasures from the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art and New Acquisitions III, both curated by Dr. Ilana Singer, the Chief Curator of the museum; as well as an exhibition presenting Felix Tikotin’s life and work, curated by Mr. Jaron Borensztajn, who lives in Holland and is Mr. Tikotin’s grandson. He will be present at the opening ceremony.
The programme will also include an exciting performance by the Japanese Taiko Drummers.
The summer programmes of the Museum feature a variety of events to mark the jubilee festivities. At beginning of July, with the support and cooperation of the Japanese Embassy, there will be a happening with activities for all the family. In the museum’s garden, cultural and creative activities will include: Origami workshops, martial arts for children, traditional Japanese make-up and dress, a Kimono painting workshop, Butoh dance classes, Japanese calligraphy on greeting cards, Japanese drumming, screenings of Japanese animated films for children, story-tellers, Japanese food, and more.
A Japanese film festival will be presented in cooperation with the Tel Aviv and Haifa Cinematheques. The Museum will also offer a range of courses – for adults during the week, and for children at the weekends, taught by experts in Japanese art and culture from Israel and abroad.
The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art is dedicated to conserving and displaying items of Japanese art and culture. Its collection of over 7,000 items ranges from paintings, prints, drawings, ancient illustrated books, ceramics, miniature sculptures, metal and lacquer works, antique swords and household objects from the 17th-19th centuries, to contemporary Japanese art.
The Museum offers cultural events and educational activities throughout the year, and is a vital link in Middle East understanding of Japanese culture and in reinforcing the friendship between our two nations. It has recently received much praise from the Japanese Foreign Minister.
The Exhibitions
Treasures from the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art
A selection of the finest objects in the Museum’s collection, the exhibition also displays rare items that have not previously been exhibited in Israel. The exhibition comprises 150 works of art, including drawings, woodblock prints, artworks from the Edo Period, animals and objects represented realistically or with humour, tea-ceremony ceramics, lacquerware, Japanese swords and more. Curator: Dr. Ilana Singer.
New Acquisitions III
A range of artworks that have been donated to or purchased by the Museum in the last five years, including prints, modern and ancient calligraphic works, paper dolls, ceramics, items of dress and more. Included is a selection of ink scrolls in the Zen styles of the 19th and 20th centuries, ceramic vessels by leading Japanese artists, a Japanese bridal gown, dolls inspired by the Noh Theatre by Haifa artist Ruth Falk, paper works by Masa Kumagai, and etchings by Hamanishi Katsunori, today considered as the leading Japanese print artist in the world, combining gold and silver leaf in his works according to the ancient Japanese technique. Curator: Dr. Ilana Singer.
Felix Tikotin: the Life and Work of the Museum’s Founder
The jubilee celebrations at the museum will include the inauguration of a new display room dedicated to the Museum’s founder, Felix Tikotin (1893-1986). Tikotin was famous for his collection of Japanese art worldwide. For more than 40 years Tikotin collected unique, priceless objects and arranged numerous exhibitions of Japanese culture. During WWII Tikotin, who was Jewish, fled the Nazis and concealed his collection in Holland. After the war, he came to Israel with the intention of donating his collection and building a museum for Japanese culture in Haifa. The exhibition is curated by Felix Tikotin’s grandson, Jaron Borensztajn, and features personal items, photographs, catalogues and art objects.
The exhibition closes on October 2, 2010
The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, 89 Hanassi Avenue, Haifa
Opening Hours: Sunday – Thursday 10:00 – 16:00, Friday and holidays 10:00 – 13:00, Saturday 10:00 – 15:00.
