Samuel and Saidye Bronfman

Israel’s most important cultural institution has collected more than 500,000 objects of archaeological, anthropologic and artistic importance, spanning the timescale from prehistory to today. In the summer of 2010, the reorganization of the complex and the transformation of the three main galleries was completed. In the spirit of the museum’s founders, the curator’s intention was not only to modernize the museum and to make it more accessible but, first and foremost, to suggest interesting connections between objects and contexts within the museum’s exhibition (ancient and modern, sacred and secular) and to underline the affinity between the diverse Judaic cultures as well as to frame the arc of the Hebrew culture in the wider spectrum of global history. Goppion worked on the archeological wing named for Saidye and Samuel Bronfman.

Exhibition design: Daniel Weil and John Rushworth, Pentagram Design, London;

Rivka Myers, The Israel Museum, Exhibition design Department, Gerusalemme

The challenge

The design, by Daniel Weil and John Rushworth of Pentagram Ltd., is noteworthy in that the interior architecture and finishes have been organized within a three-dimensional grid, harmonically integrating the 200 transparent ‘modules’ that are formed by the display cases with the finished concrete surfaces of the existing architecture.

The solution

The necessity to conform to the strict geometric requirements meant that we had to be very precise – down to the millimeter. This was a challenge for the entire process, from manufacturing to installation. More than 100 display cases in different sizes and shapes were placed in the center of the rooms. The effect obtained, which fully highlights the pieces on show, is tangible proof of Goppion’s ability to meet the client’s Exhibition design needs.