Honoré Daumier (1808−1879) was a French painter and graphic artist who was deeply engaged in the political and social events of his time. Equipped with a sharp eye and a biting sense of humor, he captured the most subtle nuances of human expression and gesture and recorded them on stone from memory for newspaper publications.

Culled from the Museum’s collection of prints, this exhibition displays the wide range of topics that preoccupied the artist.

Last chance before the exhibition closes!

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.a

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.

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.