Yaacov Agam Dies, Leaving a Lasting and Contested Mark on Public Space

Israeli artist and sculptor Yaacov Agam, a pioneer of kinetic art and one of Israel’s best-known and most influential creators abroad, died today. Over more than seven decades, he developed an artistic language centered on movement, transformation and the viewer’s changing perspective, with works shown in major museums and public spaces worldwide. He also left a major imprint on Israel’s urban landscape through large-scale sculptures, fountains and installations, though some of those public works stirred debate over aesthetics, preservation and how they fit changing cities.

His best-known work is the “Fire and Water” fountain in Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square, inaugurated in 1986. The kinetic sculpture combined rotating rings, colored panels, geometric patterns, water jets, lighting and flames in a timed display. The fountain quickly became both a landmark and a controversy, with critics pointing to maintenance costs that were estimated at about $15,000 a year and to technical failures that sometimes shut parts of the system down.

The dispute deepened after Dizengoff Square was renovated and returned to street level. In 2011, the fountain underwent major restoration and upgrades costing about 2 million shekels, including repainting the colored panels and technical changes such as removing the original spinning mechanism. When the square was completed in 2018, the fountain returned to the center, but the elements were installed in their original silver color rather than Agam’s familiar palette. Agam said the changes harmed the integrity of the work and left the public with an incomplete version, while Tel Aviv officials said the decisions were driven by safety, maintenance and budget concerns. The conflict reached public and legal debate and remained unresolved.

Agam also reshaped Tel Aviv’s shoreline with the colorful sea-facing facade of the Dan Hotel, widely admired as a successful blend of art, architecture and urban identity. He brought similar ideas to the Naaman Towers housing project in northern Tel Aviv, and created the kinetic fountain La Fontaine at Paris’s La Défense business district. His works appeared in cities across Europe, the United States and Asia. A wake will be held Monday, June 22, 2026, 14:00 to 16:00, at the Agam Museum in Rishon LeZion, followed by the funeral leaving Tuesday at 17:00 from the military cemetery in Rehovot. Shiva will be observed at the Agam Museum on Mishr Street 1 in Rishon LeZion.