The Israel Museum

Established in 1965, the Israel Museum is the country’s largest cultural institution and ranks among the world’s leading art and archaeology museums. Its diverse collection spans from prehistory to the present, including the world’s most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology. A centerpiece of the collection is the Shrine of the Book, designed by Armand Bartos and Frederick Kiesler, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls — the oldest biblical manuscripts in existence — alongside rare early medieval biblical manuscripts. The museum’s painting collection encompasses a wide range of periods, styles and regions, featuring works by international figures such as Rembrandt, Marc Chagall, and Camille Pissarro, as well as prominent Israeli and Jewish artists like Abel Pann and Reuven Rubin. The celebrated Isamu Noguchi-designed sculpture garden showcases modern works by artists including Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin and Pablo Picasso. The Israel Museum also oversees two off-site locations: the Rockefeller Archaeological Museum, an architectural gem built in 1938 to display artifacts from ancient Israel, and Ticho House, a historic house and garden that hosts exhibitions by emerging Israeli artists.