German-Jewish Modernism and Israeli Textiles

• In Event: Material Cultures

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of German-Jewish textile designers on the development of Israeli textile art and design. It focuses on the work of two weavers, Julia Keiner and ruth Kaiser, who immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1936 after completing the studies at leading art and design institutions, the Kunstschul Frankfurt and the Bauhaus, respectively, were the modernist principles of universalist design, truth to materials and functionalism. These two weavers lead the first textile design program in Israel, the weaving department at the New Bezalel School of Art and Craft in Jerusalem, that operated between 1941-1970, where they navigated between their own ideological commitment to universal design, and the school's emphasis on the development of a quintessential Hebrew style. Grounded in art history and cultural history, this paper will raise questions regarding trans-national design, Hebrew modernism and the German-Jewish presence of Israeli culture.

Author

• Noga Bernstein