Mural art is part of the country’s landscape. This artwork – paintings, reliefs, mosaics and other techniques and styles – can be found on the walls of cultural institutions, public buildings, religious structures, hotels, and private residences, both inside and out. These artworks testify to historical, social, national, and religious concepts and much can be learnt from them about the inhabitants of the land and its communities.
Since 2013 a survey, the first of its kind, has been underway led by Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi (YBZ) and the Council for the Preservation of Heritage Sites in Israel, with the support of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage’s program Tziyunei Haderech. The aim of the survey is to reveal, document, preserve and present the mural art around the country from the 19th century and up until the present, all with the public’s assistance.
As part of the survey, experts have ranked the various works of art which have been earmarked for preservation and renovation according to their importance. These include the painting by Yaacov Stark in the Ades synagogue in Jerusalem, the paintings by Avraham Ofek in Kfar Uriya (The Circle of Life) and in the Tali School in Jerusalem (Jerusalem enveloped by mountains); Sheldon Shoneberg’s painting in Beit Zila in Kibbutz Maaleh Hachamisha (The Five) and his Itamar Golani and Ancient Hebrew Forefather in Beit Itamar in Kibbutz Afikim and The Seven Species and the Bounty of the Land by Mordechai Gumpel in the Israel Electric Corporation offices in Haifa.