Bezalel Exposition.

A scarce poster advertising the 'Bezalel Exposition' - an exhibition 'of Jewish arts and crafts from Jerusalem' which took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, on March 5th to 11th 1914. Holmes, the poster designer, was most likely one of Bezalel artists.

The Bezalel school was founded in 1906 in Jerusalem by the artist and professor Boris Schatz and was the first art school to be established in the Holy Land in the 20th century. The establishment of Bezalel was initiated by Schatz, who discussed his vision of opening an art school in the Land of Israel with Herzl, while the two met in Vienna in 1903 at the sixth Zionist Congress.

Schatz chose to call the school 'Bezalel' after the biblical artist Bezalel ben Uri ben Hur, mentioned in the book of Exodus as the artist chosen by God to build the Tabernacle (hamishkan in Hebrew). According to the scripture this artist worked in silver, gold, copper, stone and wood. By founding his art school Schatz aimed to establish a national style of art, blending classical Jewish, European and Middle-Eastern traditions. In addition to traditional sculpture and painting training, the school ran craft workshops that produced decorative art objects in silver, leather, wood, brass and fabric, which were sold at exhibitions such as the one advertised, in Europe, the United States and even South Africa. The exhibitions were initiated by Schatz and ran between the years 1909-1926. They were so successful that even the Dutch royal family purchased the 'Song of Songs' rug that was exhibited at a Bezalel exhibition in The Hague.

Schatz's school was closed in 1929 and then reopened in the mid 1930s as the 'New Bezalel'. In 1955 the school received its official academic acclaim and today the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design is Israel's national school of art, as well as its oldest higher education institution. The art created by Bezalel's students and professors in the first decades of the 20th century is considered the stepping stone for Israeli visual arts.

Orange paper poster printed with black ink, 21 x 26 cm, photographic pastedown in the centre, two small punch holes to top margin.