The Israelis
Micha Kirshner
1997
Photographs 1979‑1997
During his years in print journalism, Micha Kirshner photographed regular columns for various newspapers, primarily for the daily Ma'ariv and the monthly Monitin.
These columns followed Israeli public life. As part of these sections, Kirshner photographed and interviewed figures from the fields of culture, politics, and academia, alongside ordinary people.
Kirshner's portrait photography captured the prominent representations and leaders of Israeli society. Through aesthetic compositions and powerful frames, Israeli cultural icons were not portrayed in their heroism nor did they exude grandeur—they served as a means to reflect an ironic gaze and challenge Israeli myths, leaving the viewer with a multitude of doubts and questions.
- Pages: 142
- Type of binding: hardcover
- Dimensions (cm): 30x40
- Publication: Ma'ariv - Hed Arzi
- Place of publication: Or Yehuda, Israel
- ISBN: 990017836170205171
Micha Kirshner was born in Milan, Italy, in 1947. In 1948, his family immigrated to Israel and settled in Ramat HaSharon. Between 1971 and 1975, Kirshner studied art and photography at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Upon returning to Israel, he founded and headed the Photography Department at HaMidrasha. In 1979, he joined Monitin magazine as a photographer and editorial staff member. According to Ruti Director, Kirshner’s photographic language, developed in the pages of Monitin, was at once aesthetically meticulous and stylistically distinctive, yet also timely, opinionated, and committed to political and social engagement. Kirshner also taught at Camera Obscura, Bezalel, and Sapir College, and from 2012 served as head of the Photography Department at WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education. He passed away in 2017 in Tel Aviv from cancer.
