Yaacov Agam was buried on Monday at the military cemetery in Rehovot, after a farewell ceremony held earlier at the Yaacov Agam Museum in Rishon Lezion. The funeral was attended by family, friends, Rishon Lezion Mayor Raz Kinstlich, and former minister Meir Sheetrit. Agam died at 98, and had received the Israel Prize at 97.
Agam was a pioneer of kinetic art and one of Israel’s most internationally successful artists. His works were exhibited at major museums and venues in New York’s Guggenheim Museum, Amsterdam, and France. Among his best-known pieces are the Fire and Water fountain at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv and Jacob’s Ladder at the Israel Convention Center in Jerusalem.
At the funeral, those who eulogized him emphasized both his art and his personality. His friend of 40 years, Lt. Col. Yaakov Per, said, “He never stopped innovating, that was his strength. Yaacov left behind not only works, but also a new way of looking at the world.” His son Ron said he remembered “the smile, his face, his special gaze” and described his father as a charismatic man who educated himself in the sand dunes of his hometown of Rishon Lezion.
His daughter Orit said she wanted people to remember the person, not only the artist. She said Agam was kind to everyone, fought for love throughout his life, and in his final moments was surrounded by love. Kinstlich said Agam taught that reality is not fixed and that every small movement changes the picture, adding that the museum in Rishon Lezion will keep telling his story for decades.
