Yaacov Agam, Israeli artist, reclining on one of his works at the Georges Pompidou Art Center, June 28, 2003, in Paris, where his works of kinetic sculpture were on exhibit. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
Yaacov Agam, the pioneer of kinetic art known for his vibrant, abstract geometric shapes, has died at the age of 98.
Earlier this year he was awarded the 2026 Israel Prize for Visual Arts.
The artist, who was born Yaacov Gibstein and later changed his last name to Agam, was born in British Mandate Palestine, with a father who was a rabbi and a kabbalist.
He trained at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design before moving to Zurich in 1949 for his studies, and then to Paris, where he lived for the next few decades.
Agam was quickly recognized for his kinetic art and sculptures, eventually showing his works at the first Biennale in Paris, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim, Centre Pompidou, and a host of other institutions.
He became known for massive, colorful sculptures, including “Double Metamorphosis III,” the fountain at the La Défense district in Paris, the Fire and Water Fountain in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, and the facade of the Dan Hotel in Tel Aviv.
A woman walks past Agam’s fountain on Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, November 17, 2015 (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
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Sunday, June 21, 2026
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