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| AHAVA Hebrew word for LOVE. |
While talking on the phone this weekend, my mother told me about a place in Jerusalem that she really enjoyed when she visited Israel. Knowing that I have become a lover of all things that have to do with Art and Israel, she thought I'd like this place.
The Billy Rose Art Garden, which is part of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, was designed by Isamu Noguchi, an Japanese-American sculptor. The garden features modern and abstract sculptures. The sculptures are from such world renowned artists as: Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, and Henry Moore. The garden also features such prominent Israeli artists as: Menashe Kadishman, Igael Tumarkin, Ezra Orion, and Benni Efrat.
The garden was designed to reflect the peace and tranquility of a Japanese Zen garden. In as such, the grounds are covered with gravel, the garden has stones of different shapes and sizes, and water. My mother said that what she liked best about the Billy Rose Art Garden was the fabulous size of the sculptures. Some are larger than life.
In case you are wondering how the Billy Rose garden got it's name, it was named in honor of it's founder. William "Billy" Rose, was a Jewish American, who acheived fame and notoriety writing song lyrics. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, Rose is probably most famous for the song "Me and My Shadow". He was also at one time married to the Fanny Brice, the singer portrayed by Barbara Streisand in the hit musical "Funny Girl".
When the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden opened, Billy attending the opening ceremony. It is rumored that when one of the guests asked Rose, in the event of a war, what Israel should do with the abstract steel sculptures? To which he replied, "Melt them down for bullets." I don't know if that story is true, or just a myth, but it's a great story either way.
