Bezalel Academy of Art and Design

Founded in 1903 by artist Boris Schatz, the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is Israel’s oldest and most prestigious art school. The Bezalel Academy’s current location is on Mount Scopus, adjacent to Hebrew University’s campus, although it is slated to relocate to the center of town in the coming years.

The school has educated many leading artists including such names as Jacob Pins, Jacob Eisenberg, Ze’ev Raban, and Hermann Struck. Over the years, Bezalel’s teachers have come to establish a distinct artistic style, known as the Bezalel school, which portrays Zionist and Biblical themes and subjects in a style evocative of the art nouveau movement and traditional Persian and Syrian art.

Bezalel hosts many events and workshops geared towards artists and art-lovers alike, including the eclectic and always-interesting yearly graduates’ exhibition.