An in-depth look at the Israel Museum’s iconic, beloved, and mystifying Castle of the Pyrenees, 1959, by René Magritte.

This exhibition unfolds the intriguing story of how the painting came into being as a commission by Magritte’s good friend and patron Harry Torczyner, who later gifted it to the Museum. The evolution of the artist’s important stone motif is explored through related works, some of them never before displayed in Israel. Finally, a contemporary chapter in the show presents pieces by artists who were influenced by Magritte and his Castle, testimony to his enduring visual legacy.

The work of internationally acclaimed Israeli artist Dani Karavan (1930–2021) had many facets. He is best known for environmental sculptures that were groundbreaking in every sense. Engaging with land and space on a monumental scale, they cannot be contained: only the open air is expansive enough for them. But this exhibition presents a different facet of the artist, works from the beginning of his career and some from its end that share an intimacy of scale and subject.

A first-time ever exhibition focusing on the headrest, an object that plays diverse roles among different African cultures. These small wooden objects were used mainly to support the head and protect complex hairstyles while sleeping. Most headrests belonged to men, who carried them visibly on their body and thereby communicated information about their age, social status and position, cultural affiliation, and personal taste. In some cultures, headrests also functioned as mediators to the world of spirits and ancestors through dreams.

Unique treasures from the ancient Mesoamerican Olmec, Maya, and Aztec civilizations are unveiled in this large-scale exhibition illustrating the domestication of maize, cacao, and maguey (agave). A dazzling, full-sized reconstruction of a Maya temple dominates the exhibition, in which visitors are invited to discover a world teeming with gods, myths, and ancient rites – all of which evolved from the cultivation of these crops.