Renowned Israeli sculptor and painter Igael Tumarkin was laid to rest on Friday after passing away the previous day at age 87. He was buried at Kibbutz Na’an, near Rehovot.
The Israel Prize winner’s work spanned many decades and included the famous Holocaust memorial sculpture in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square, the Arad viewpoint, the Sundial Garden in Ashkelon and the Peace Memorial in Jerusalem.
Tumarkin was born in Dresden, Germany in 1933 but moved with his mother to Israel two years later. He grew up in Tel Aviv and Bat Yam and began dabbling in art and sculpting as a teen. He began studying seriously after his military service, in the 1950s.
His works have been displayed throughout Israel and the world, and he won many prizes over the years. He also wrote books about art as well as children’s books.
Tumarkin was known for his anti-war positions and controversial statements about the state of the country, about his disdain for religion and more.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
He is survived by three children, among them actor Yon Tumarkin.
Igael Tumarkin’s Holocaust remembrance monument in Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square April 18, 2020 (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)
Son Dor said Tumarkin was “a wonderful father” who taught his children “to seek truth uncompromisingly.” He said that as an artist his father “will be missed by many, and your influence on culture and art will live on forever.”
His other son, Yon, said he was “filled with pride” in his father and his work, and that the latter would live on beyond both of them.
A sculpture by artist Igael Tumarkin in Northern Israel, 2018 (Anat Hermony/FLASH90)
A sculpture by artist Igael Tumarkin in Northern Israel, 2018 (Anat Hermony/FLASH90)
Two people walking near Igael Tumarkin’s monument near Arad, December 4, 2011 (Doron Horowitz/FLASH90)
It's not (only) about you.
Supporting The Times of Israel isn’t a transaction for an online service, like subscribing to Netflix. The ToI Community is for people like you who care about a common good: ensuring that balanced, responsible coverage of Israel continues to be available to millions across the world, for free.
Sure, we'll remove all ads from your page and you'll unlock access to some excellent Community-only content. But your support gives you something more profound than that: the pride of joining something that really matters.
Join the Times of Israel Community
Join our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this