A world-renowned kinetic artist, Yaacov Agam pioneered a new form of art that stresses change and movement. He studied under the Bauhaus' color-theoretician, Johannes Itten, and then rejected traditional static concepts of painting and sculpture. He has enjoyed great public success since his first one-person show in Paris in 1953, and has become one of the most influential artists of modern times, most recently being honored with the construction of a single artist museum in Tel Aviv in 2020.
Agam was born in 1928 as Yaacov Gipstein in Rishon LeZion, Isreal, then Mandate Palestine. Agam's initial training in art was at the Bezalel School in Jerusalem. In 1949 he moved to Zurich, remaining there for two years before moving to Paris where he resides to this day.
He has created a body of work that is optic in nature, changing with movement. As the viewer passes by, the colors and perspective alter as well. In 1972, he held a retrospective exhibition in Paris at the Musée National d'Art Moderne. In 1980, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York held the retrospective exhibition "Beyond the Visible" and his "Selected Suites" were at the Jewish Museum, New York (1975). His works are collected worldwide and he has enjoyed major museum shows all over the world, including "Double Metamorphosis 11" in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and "Transparent Rhythms 11 "in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.
His commissions include "Homage a Mondrian" Le Mondrian Hotel, Los Angeles (1985); "Reflection and Depth", Port Authority of New York; and Synagogue Design and Civic Center, Ben-Gurion University (1979).
Agam is also renowned for his public sculpture. In 2009, he created a monumental sculpture for the World Games in Kaohsiung, Taiwan called "Peaceful Communication with the World" - nine optical pillars that contain more than 180 shades. His giant Hanukkah Menorah at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in New York City is also incredibly popular. Sponsored by Lubavitch Youth Organization, it is 32 feet high and more than 4,000 pounds - recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest menorah. It burns with real oil every Hanukkah. His public art appears on the busy streets across the world, most popular in New York, Chicago, Paris, and Strasbourg.
For his work he has received numerous awards: Prize for Artistic Research, Sao Paulo, Biennal, Brazil (1963); guest lecturer, Harvard University (1968), Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres (1974); Honorary Doctorate of Philosophy, Tel Aviv University (1975); and the Medal of the Council of Europe (1977). In 1996, he was awarded the Jan Amos Comenius Medal by UNESCO and in 1999 he created the winner's trophy for the Eurovision Song Contest in Jerusalem.