ZE'EV RABAN (1890-1970) TOURISM IN PALESTINE / COME AND SEE EREZISRAEL. 1929.
26x18 inches, 68x45 3/4 cm. Bezalel, Jerusalem.
Condition B+: repaired tears and restoration in margins and image; overpainting in margins; colors attenuated. Framed.
Ze'ev Raban joined Bezalel in 1912 when he emigrated from Poland to Palestine. He was an industrial and graphic designer, painter, sculptor, decorative artist and expert at repousée (metalwork). In addition to his ceramic tile designs (many of which can still be seen on buildings in Tel Aviv), Raban was best known for his book illustrations. He designed two posters: one in his classic, illustrative style, and this one. "In small pictures flanking a map of Palestine, a mixture of Jewish sites are shown: traditional Holy Places of the Temple Site, Rachel's Tomb, The Cave of Machpelah (in Hebron), the Tower of David, the two Zionist schools Bezalel and Herzliya, and the two Zionist colonies Rishon Le-tzyion and Metulah" (Art in Zion, p. 206). The poster proudly offers artistic goods and local services for sale. Founded in 1906, the Bezalel Movement worked toward forging a recognizable national art form, combining Jewish, Middle Eastern and European artistic traditions. Much of their graphic art portrayed biblical and Zionist subjects in a style influenced by Art Nouveau. very rare Raban p. 106, Not in the Israeli Museum, not in Magnes.