Tel Aviv Museum’s Pavilion for Contemporary Art renovation

The Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the city of Tel Aviv are delighted to announce a comprehensive renovation of the Pavilion for Contemporary Art located in Culture Square. This has been made possible by a $5 million donation from the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation, a philanthropic foundation that supports education and art institutions and initiatives worldwide.

The Pavilion was first established with the support of the Helena Rubinstein Foundation 60 years ago and named after her. But since the Helena Rubinstein Foundation ceased operating in 2011, the building has required secured funding to build for the future.

This generous donation will allow for extensive renovation of the Pavilion which will be re-named The Eyal Ofer Building for the Arts. As part of the renovation, the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation has asked the Museum to ensure that the past support of the Helena Rubinstein Foundation is appropriately commemorated.

Within the arts, the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Foundation has provided support and partnership to a number of landmark cultural institutions internationally, including Tate Modern, National Maritime Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMa and the Giacometti Foundation.

The renovation work is intended to restore the Pavilion to its former status as one of the most significant buildings in Tel Aviv, while improving the exhibition infrastructure, including lighting, climate control, exhibition and visitation spaces, enhancing the visitors’ experience.

The Pavilion covers some 1,470 square meters and was built by the late Israel Prize laureate architect Ya’akov Rechter 60 years ago. His son Amnon Rechter, who now leads the same architecture practice, is responsible for the renewal work.

The renovated building will also feature a café bar as well as a Museum shop in order to draw a larger and younger audience. Planning and implementing the project is expected to take up to three years.

Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Jaffa and Chairman of Tel Aviv Museum of Art Board of Directors:

“I thank Eyal Ofer and the Foundation for their contribution to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and I am happy that, thanks to it, another cultural asset in the city of Tel Aviv-Yafo is being revived.”

Haim Samet deputy chairman:

“I am deeply thankful to the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation for this generous donation, which enables us to achieve our ambition of renovating the most beautiful diamond in the heart of Tel Aviv. This unique pavilion will open new opportunities to exhibit excellent art in Tel Aviv’s culture center.”

Tania Coen-Uzzielli, Director of Tel Aviv Museum of Art

“We would like to thank the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation, for their generosity in agreeing to support this important project. This donation will allow us to restore the original architecture and design of the Pavilion by enhancing and refining the infrastructure of the exhibitions space and galleries. The building is situated alongside the Habima and the Charles Bronfman Auditorium, which themselves have undergone a significant renewal process in recent years. So the Pavilion will become the exciting third side of the bustling Culture Square. Following the renovation, the Pavilion will host major exhibitions of contemporary international and local artist, while becoming a magnet for wider audiences.

Eyal Ofer, Chairman of The Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation:

“It is a great honor for me and the Foundation to be part of the Pavilion’s renewal. We are delighted to support the important heritage that it represents in the cultural heart of Tel Aviv, and to continue its development based on the past donation and support of the Helena Rubinstein Foundation for the good of the city of Tel Aviv.”

About the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (TAMA)

Tel Aviv Museum of Art (TAMA) is one Israel’s preeminent cultural institution that collects, preserves and exhibits modern and contemporary art, and fosters appreciation of art of our time through dynamic exhibitions and diverse public programming. The Museum is home to an extraordinary collection of modern and contemporary art by Israeli and international artists, and during the past year welcomed more than a million visitors. TAMA also offers a rich array of cultural events, including concert series, performances, dance, films and educational programs for children and adults. TAMA’s program aims to stimulate the dialog between past and present, explore the canonic and the experimental, and nurture an arts and culture environment that’s accessible and contemporary to a wide range of audiences. In essence, TAMA is a municipal museum and with its central location—at the heart of Israel’s most vibrant city, a center of attraction for culture, tourism and leisure—it is an active part of Israel’s artistic calendar, a must-visit attraction for international tourists as well as an influential factor for the local and international cultural agenda.

About the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation

The Eyal and Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation is a philanthropic foundation chaired by Eyal Ofer and established to continue the charitable giving of his family in support of education and the arts. It aims to help bring about valuable change in these areas by financially supporting effective charities, institutions and initiatives around the world in their work to achieve demonstrable impact. For further information about the Foundation: click here.

About Eyal Ofer

Eyal Ofer is a global maritime shipping and real estate business leader and philanthropist. He is chairman of Ofer Global, leading a private portfolio of international businesses principally focused on maritime shipping, cruise lines, real estate and hotels, energy, technology, banking and investments. He sits on the advisory board of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum and chairs the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation. For further information about Ofer Global: click here.

Eyal is a committed patron of cultural and educational institutions who has personally supported causes from preserving artistic heritage and academic resources, to driving new areas of research and making available advancement opportunities for those from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. Together with his wife Marilyn and the Foundation, Eyal is deeply involved with a number of international museums including the Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Maritime Museum and the Giacometti Foundation.

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