The Israel Museum, the largest cultural
institution in Israel, houses encyclopedic
collections of works dating from prehistory to
the present day in Archaeology, the Fine Arts,
and Jewish Art and Life. Since opening in 1965,
the Museum has built a collection of nearly
500,000 objects representing the full scope of
artistic creativity and world material culture.
The galleries at the top of the campus contain
permanent displays from the collections as
well as temporary exhibitions. In addition, the
Museum offers its local and international visitors
a dynamic Youth Wing, a serene Art Garden,
and the Shrine of the Book, home to the
2,000-year-old Dead Sea Scrolls.
In the summer of 2010, the Museum
completed a comprehensive upgrade of its
20-acre campus, adding new galleries, facilities,
and public spaces and transforming its three
collection wings. Preserving the spirit of the
original design by Alfred Mansfeld and Dora Gad,
the renewal led by James Carpenter Design
Associates of New York and Efrat-Kowalsky
Architects of Tel Aviv is designed to enhance
visitor experience of the Museum’s unique
collections, architecture, and setting.