The preparations for the reopening of Yaacov Agam's famous sculpture-fountain in Dizengoff Square, right in the heart of Tel Aviv, are cause for celebration in Israel and an important event for all lovers of art.
Events around the reopening of the recently renovated fountain started in early July, accompanied by the classic musical sounds that characterize it. The benches around the fountain were painted in gray, on top of the original blue, and the panels were repainted in order to recreate the unique colors of the sculpture-mosaic. Each one of its angles offers a unique view, and the results of the effort are evident. Agam, who was present in every occasion, told the press that "there are no words in the world to describe the magnificent combination of water and fire."
"Dizengoff Square Fountain, formerly called Fire and Water Fountain, was inaugurated by Shimon Peres and Tel Aviv's major Shlomo Lahat, with the participation of orchestra director Zubin Mehta as a special guest. It is considered the most representative of the artist's kinetic sculptures. The elements used are simulated wheel and colorful geometric shapes, which from each different angle and thanks to a complex mechanism allow for a variety of functions, such as cartwheels, water jets, fire emissions, and music.
Yaacov Agam, one of Israel's most renowned artists, was born in Rishon le-Zion in 1928. He studied at the Bezalel School of Arts and Crafts, in Zurich, and at the Abstract Art Academy in Paris.
His first individual exhibition took place in 1953, and in 1955 he participated in the first kinetic art exhibition at the Denise René Gallery in Paris, alongside Soto, Cruz-Diez, and Calder. He exhibited at the Paris Biennial in 1959, in the Motion in Art show in Amsterdam, and at the 1963 São Paulo Biennial, where he won first prize.
Starting with his tactile, transformable works and polymorphic paintings of the 1950s, Agam has continued to experiment with new media in search of breaking the boundaries of the second and third dimensions and achieving a fourth one, thus overcoming the static character of the work of art.