Tel Aviv Museums
As you meander through the beautiful White City of Tel Aviv, take a look at vast collections of famous Impressionist artists, old archeology finds, rich Jewish history, interactive gardens, and even fun beverages and cuisine that promise to delight visitors of all ages.
The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is Israel’s largest art museum with a huge collection of permanent exhibits, as well as unique temporary exhibitions. The famous works inside include those by Cezanne, Chagall, Dali, Monet, Henri Moore, Auguste Rodin, Archipenko, Picasso, Klimt, and Kadinsky. The museum has been open since before the state of Israel was even established, and a new wing opened in 2011. Make sure to take some time to watch a foreign film in the auditorium while you’re there!
Walkthrough over twenty-five hundred years of Jewish history from around the world! The Beit Hatfutsot: The Museum of the Jewish People has a large multimedia and family history library. If you have Jewish heritage, you can trace your lineage and roots here! There are also over twenty models that represent diverse synagogues from the entire globe. Enjoy spectacular Judaica, various forms of art, and a variety of interactive activities. This museum is remarkably kid-friendly!
Bauhaus Center Tel Aviv is a monument that was built to increase public recognition of the White City as a unique architectural and cultural monument. With this goal in mind, the gallery has an extensive permanent collection, along with changing exhibitions and a publisher, all dedicated to the Bauhaus subject. Bauhaus stems from the famous German school in the early nineteen hundreds that was known for clean designs and modern buildings. The center works with UNESCO, as well as collaborating with other various institutions, museums, and galleries to provide impressive displays of Bauhaus architecture and design, representations of the city of Tel Aviv, and contemporary artwork.
The Eretz Israel Museum is a beautiful museum spread across a campus in the Ramat Aviv district of the city, overlooking Tel Aviv. Find an assortment of displays relating to archaeology, Judaica, ethnography, history, Jewish culture, and arts and crafts. Each of these topics are housed in their own pavilions scattered across the museum site, with an archaeological excavation in the center. The Museum has fun interactive displays, actual working reconstructions, and even a planetarium! Unique arrays include wine and oil presses, a flour mill, and a “craft arcade” where visitors are able to use traditional working tools.
If you find yourself a little south of Tel Aviv, check out some more amazing architectural design. The Design Museum Holon is a work of art itself! It was designed by one of Israel’s most notable architects and designers, Ron Arad. Bronze-colored weathered steel wraps around the museums exhibition halls. It’s a state-of-the-art museum that explores everything related to unique design and architecture, and they have areas of multimedia and interactivity to provide you with an entire range of displays of contemporary art from around the world.
The Rubin Museum has turned the famous artist’s home into a museum! Reuven Rubin lived here with his family, and worked in the third floor studio until his death in the late nineteen hundreds. There is a specially curated selection from the Museum's permanent collection of his paintings, with occasional guest exhibitions focusing on Israeli art. There is even a children’s workshop in the basement, with an opening to the backyard gardens.
The Bialik House was designed for the poet Haim Nachman Bialik, when he arrived in Israel in 1924. The castle-like structure is considered to be a cultural and historical cornerstone of the Jewish settlement in Israel. The breathtaking architecture and interior design of the house includes inspiration from the garden that Balik attended to and loved. After his death, the house was turned into a hosting environment for the Hebrew Writers' Association as a means to preserve the historical location.The house later became a children's library, then was renovated into the museum seen today.
The Museum of the History of Tel Aviv-Yafo is an old municipality building in one of the most iconic public spaces in the city, with proud Bauhaus architecture. You can see the evolution of Tel Aviv from a suburb of Jaffa (Yafo) to a lively center of culture and commerce. The outer building and the inner objects all have been carefully restored, and covers over one hundred years of history of the magnificent White City. It’s called The White City because there are so many Bauhaus and Modernist buildings!
The llana Goor Museum resides in a renovated building from the eighteenth century, overlooking the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. There’s a variety of artwork and antiques that were either created by Goor, or curated from around the world. Hundreds of sculptures from Israel, Africa, and Latin America are next to Israeli and contemporary artists including Henry Moore, Josef Albers and Alberto Giacometti. Wood, stone, and metal sculptures are on display next to a breathtaking panorama of the city and the sea!
Feeling like checking out something unique and more gastronomical? Seek out the Whiskey Bar and Museum, a unique and unconventional building with an interactive educational experience, including food and drink. This multi-faceted bar, restaurant, and museum showcases more than a thousand types of whiskey from thirteen different countries! The culinary adventure continues with gourmet dishes of smoked meats and whiskey-themed desserts, all created to pair well with specific types of drinks. Taste an array of whiskeys from Ireland, Scotland, and even Taiwan and India. Enjoy a guided tour or tasting revolving around the history and development of the alcoholic beverage. Please note that from noon to 5pm the building functions as a museum, while from 5pm until closing you can enjoy the restaurant and bar.
