How did an astounding work from one of the founding figures of Israeli art, with an entire museum in Tel Aviv dedicated to his work, end up in the Hebrew College collection?
Beginning Jan. 28, Hebrew College will host an exhibition showcasing 20th century Israeli artist Reuven Rubin’s captivating lithographic series on the story of King David, an interpretation of the biblical story that transports viewers across centuries and continents.
Born in Romania in 1893, Rubin traveled to Ottoman-controlled Palestine in 1912 to study at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem and eventually to Paris to complete his training. In 1923 Rubin returned to Palestine—now governed by the British—to live and paint in the Yishuv (a term for the pre-1948 Jewish community). He would go on to establish himself as one of the most influential and celebrated artists of the emerging Israeli art scene.
But before Reuven settled in Israel, his travels took him to New York and London, where he met Leon Gildesgame, a champion of cultural Zionism and patron of the arts. “He was an ardent Zionist,” says Leon’s son, Mike. “When the British gave up the mandate, he was interested in supporting arts and art appreciation in Israel.” The two formed a lifelong friendship—Reuven gifted Leon and his wife a painting of the Judean hills on the occasion of their wedding—and met frequently when Leon would travel to Israel. When Reuven created his lithograph series of David, Leon purchased a folio of prints which the artist inscribed to the Gildesgame family, enclosing a photo of Rubin examining the prints with David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister. The lithographs, along with the photo of Rubin and Ben-Gurion, became prized possessions. Though they were never displayed prominently in the Gildesgame home, they were brought out to share with visitors who came to appreciate the family’s art collection.
This is the history Mike Gildesgame shared with Hebrew College Arts Committee Chair Deb Feinstein while searching for a place to donate Rubin’s work. Hoping to continue his father’s legacy, Mike was searching for a place where it would be honored and regarded for its historical import and artistic merit. With a recently endowed arts initiative and a demonstrated commitment to hosting Jewish art, Hebrew College felt like the right home. The prints, which had been stored in a folio, have been mounted and framed under Feinstein’s supervision, and will be displayed as a collection for the first time this winter.
The lithographs are accompanied by a short text which recites the story of King David’s life, drawing attention to Rubin’s curatorial role in selecting which moments of the tale to depict. The David lithographs are marked by a playful, expressive blend of realism and abstraction, imbuing familiar scenes with dynamism and emotional resonance. By highlighting certain moments and characters over others, Rubin invites the audience to consider the complexities of power, faith, and human nature. From the dramatic coronation of the young shepherd-turned-king to his intimate friendship with Jonathan, the images accumulate to both celebrate and complicate the narrative of this foundational biblical figure. In one image David plays his harp, adorned in bold, regal red, crowned in gold, while in another composition of subdued amber and yellow the aging king is presented with the maiden Abishag to warm his bed.
As visitors take in the exhibition, they’ll be encouraged to consider the choices Rubin made in his visual storytelling. “It’s fascinating to see how people highlight the King David story in their own way, and what they grasp for,” says Feinstein. “Why does he choose these visual interpretations?” Why, for example, did he choose to represent the anointing of David and his spying on Bathsheba, rather than his childhood as a shepherd or his conflict with King Saul? And what might these decisions reveal about the artist’s own worldview and the way he found meaning in the legacy of King David? “Rubin’s work is not just a beautiful representation of a biblical story,” says Feinstein. “It’s an exploration of the human condition.”
For those interested in learning more about King David, Tamid of Hebrew College will offer a three-week adult learning course beginning Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 11 a.m. to noon in person at Hebrew College. Taught by Avi Berstein-Nahar, “Give me a King: An Introduction to the Story of King David” will examine David as a transformative biblical figure and tragically flawed hero, relying on the text from biblical scholar Robert Alter’s 2018 translation of the Hebrew Bible.
“Reuven Reuben: An Interpretation of the Story of King David” debuts Tuesday, Jan. 28, with an exhibit opening at Hebrew College from 5-7 p.m. featuring remarks from Mike Gildesgame about his family’s connection to Rubin and the world of Israeli art.
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