Joav BarEl: Center of the World [1970]

The culture of Tel Aviv’s inner city and the figure of Joav BarEl (1933–1977) stand at the heart of this book. BarEl conceived of the work just a few years before passing away from heart failure at a young age, and it reflects the artistic credo that guided him during this mature stage of his career as a cultural figure, thinker, and artist. The work was conceived as an “idea,” and has reached us in the form of a series of notes and ink drawings on the pages of a notebook, BarEl titled Book of Ideas.

From the guide: “When BarEl died of heart failure at the age of just 44, it was clear to his acquaintances and the audiences who followed him that thanks to the scope and depth of his work, and his original thinking, he had made a significant contribution to the field of art and emerging culture in Israel. To many, he became a symbol — a symbol of an era and a generation. He left behind not only a physical, tangible legacy in the form of artworks, but also an intangible cultural heritage that might best be summed up in the word spirit. In retrospect, one could say that BarEl not only worked during the golden moment of secular, liberal youth culture in Tel Aviv — he was one of its formulators and initiators.”

Alongside the written research, the book presents photographs and documents from the artist’s archive and other archives, some of which are published here for the first time.

The art guide Joav BarEl: Center of the World (1970) is the fifth in a series of independent research publications released by Marcel, initiated and edited by Adi Engelman. Each guide in the series focuses on a single work or body of work from the history of experimental and modern art in Israel — works that continue to resonate with contemporary culture and society.