"Shadow of a Date Tree" • New exhibition at the Herman Struck Museum in Haifa • Opening on 30/5/24

100 years of the Herman Struck family

What did Haifa look like 100 years ago and how is it today? The exhibition provides viewers with new vantage points on Struck's works and the city of Haifa.

Dana Nitzani, coordinator of management and development at the Herman Struck Museum, says:

Struck is considered one of the most important print artists of the twentieth century. He had an extensive knowledge of different and diverse printmaking techniques. During his years of activity as an artist, Shtrok chose to focus on two main subjects: portraits and landscapes. The museum collection includes many of his works documenting Haifa a hundred years ago. In a large part of them, the characteristics of the reduction of details and the emptiness of the landscape stand out, And it is not known whether things really looked like this or whether Sturk chose it carefully and deliberately. The palm trees, which appear repeatedly in Sturk's prints, give the delicate works an exotic tone. The European foreigner's observation of the Mediterranean coast is evident in them.

A print exhibition will open on 30/5/24

The Haifa Museums are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the House of Herman Struck, one of the greatest print artists in Israel. On the occasion of the occasion, a new group print exhibition will be opened on 30.5.24, which bears the name "Shadow of a Date Tree". The exhibition will present diverse print works by 6 artists, who respond to Struck's view of the Haifa landscape, through their personal observation, and through diverse print techniques. This is alongside Struck's works, in which he documented the Haifa landscape 100 years ago.

The exhibition is jointly curated, in cooperation between the Haifa Museums and the Cultural Department of the Haifa Municipality - Ruth Oppenheim and Dana Nitzani. Curatorial supervision: Dr. Kobi Ben-Meir.

According to Ruth Oppenheim, curator of the exhibition:

The artists Nivi Elroy, Einat Amir, Talia Ben Abu, Mor Rimer and Ayala Netzer, as well as the artist Farid Abu Shakra, were invited to look at Struck's print works dealing with the Haifa landscape and to create new works that present a new way of looking at the old works, as well as works that describe the contemporary landscape of Haifa. The artistic perspectives of these women creators are based on the emptiness of Struck's landscape, clinging to the descriptions of palm trees and creating a new perspective that bridges the gap of years.

The works in the exhibition offer different contemporary interpretations of the Haifa landscape and are based on contemporary working techniques, which challenge the various printing techniques." The artist Herman Struck was born in Berlin in 1876, grew up in an ultra-Orthodox household and observed mitzvot all his life. In 1923 Struck immigrated to Israel and built his home in Haifa. He He lived and taught in his home until the end of his days, in 1944. The museum, operating in his home since 2013, is dedicated to the craft of printing in general and his work in particular.

According to Yotam Yakir, CEO of Haifa Museums:

Through this special exhibition we salute Hermann Struck, a great artist, and the house where he lived and created. In recent years it was important for us to create a new concept for the Struck Museum and today it is one of the leading places in Israel for holding courses and workshops for studying and experimenting with various printmaking techniques, a field that is gaining momentum and arousing great interest. Also, the interaction with the residents of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood where the museum is located is important to us, and we invite them to take part in the various activities and workshops and create in the spirit of the art of Struck, who was also a believing and observant Jew.

More details:

• Exhibition closing date: 31.1.25
• The Hermann Struck Museum is open to the public free of charge
• Museum address: Arlozorov 23, Haifa
• Museum opening hours: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday - 10:00-16:00, Thursday - 10:00-18:00, Friday - 10:00-14:00