So They Were
1961
A selection from painter Nachum Gutman’s drawings depicting scenes of battle, friction, and war. The book was published by the Ministry of Defense as a memorial gift for the families of Israel’s fallen soldiers. It is divided into twelve thematic chapters, including: Jerusalem Under Siege, Bombarded Kibbutzim, The Animals of the Negev, Comrades, Armor and Commanders, In the Air, At Sea, Listening, In the Kitchen, and more.
- Copies: 180
- Type of binding: Soft Cover
- Languages: עברית
- Dimensions (cm): 23x30
- Printing: United artists print, Ltd
- Binding: United artists print, Ltd
- Type of printing: Offset
- Publication: Ministry of Defense Publishing House, The Kirya, Tel Aviv
- Place of publication: Tel Aviv-Jaffa
- Book photography: Leafing Magazine
Nachum Gutman (1898–1980), was an Israeli painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer—one of the most prominent figures in shaping the cultural image of early 20th-century Hebrew life in the Land of Israel. His work is characterized by a blend of childlike imagination, lyricism, and optimism, expressing a deep affection for the land, its people, and its radiant light.
Gutman was born in 1898 in Telz, Bessarabia (now Moldova). In 1905, he immigrated to Ottoman Palestine with his family, settling in the Neve Tzedek neighborhood of what would later become Tel Aviv. His father, Shmuel Ben-Zion (Sh. Ben-Zion), was a pioneering Hebrew writer and journalist.
Gutman studied at the Herzliya Gymnasium in Tel Aviv and began drawing and publishing illustrations in the Hebrew press at an early age. He later studied art at the Bezalel School in Jerusalem under Boris Schatz, and continued his studies in Paris and Berlin. Although influenced by European modernism, he developed a distinctive local style inspired by the landscapes, people, and light of Israel.
His artistic work spans multiple media: painting, drawing, book illustration, mosaics, and public sculpture. Among his best-known works are his depictions of early Tel Aviv, the mosaic murals at Tel Aviv’s old City Hall and Beit Dizengoff, and his beloved illustrations for classic Hebrew children’s books such as Uncle Simha, The Adventures of the Azure Donkey, and The Trail of Orange Peels.
In addition to his visual art, Gutman was also a celebrated writer. His children’s stories are considered foundational to modern Hebrew literature, admired for their vivid imagination and rich, playful language. Throughout his career, Gutman received numerous awards, including the Dizengoff Prize (1938), the Israel Prize for Art (1978), and the Ben-Gurion Prize. Nachum Gutman passed away in Tel Aviv in 1980. His artistic legacy is preserved at the Nachum Gutman Museum of Art, located in Neve Tzedek near his childhood home.
