Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Fountain Remains a Symbol and a Source of Conflict After Yaacov Agam’s Death

Few public artworks in Israel have sparked as much debate as Yaacov Agam’s “Fire and Water” fountain in Dizengoff Square, Tel Aviv. Agam died this week at 98, shortly after the death of architect Israel Gudovich at 92, reopening a long-running dispute over the fountain’s place, design, upkeep, and future.

The kinetic work was unveiled in 1986 in the center of what was then Kikar Zina Dizengoff, with then-prime minister Shimon Peres in attendance. Agam built it as a changing spectacle of water, fire, light, color, and motion, with rotating rings and colored panels meant to reject static art. His son Ron said the debut drew thousands and that “at least 90 percent of the public, and maybe more” admired it at first.

Over time, criticism grew around maintenance costs, technical complexity, and whether such a dominant installation suited a public square. The fountain also became tied to the wider redesign of Dizengoff Square, especially after the square was returned to street level and the fountain was moved to temporary storage. In 2011 it underwent a major renovation costing about 2 million shekels, including repainting and technical changes such as removing the original rotating mechanism. When the square reopened in 2018, the fountain returned to the center, but its color elements were never restored because of a dispute between Agam and the municipality.

Agam argued the altered version violated his artistic vision, saying in an earlier interview, “They turned my most important work into a disgraceful scrap heap.” City officials said their decisions were based on safety, maintenance, and budget. Gudovich, who criticized restoring the fountain to the square, once called it “the biggest washing machine in the world” and said the redesigned square should prioritize pedestrians and varied urban uses. His son later said the dispute was professional, not personal, and that his father and Agam maintained mutual respect.

With Agam gone, the fountain’s future is still unresolved. The municipality says it maintains the work regularly and will decide its fate responsibly, while Ron Agam hopes his father’s death will open the way to a compromise that restores the missing elements and preserves the piece for the future.