Custom built in the 1970s on the grounds of the Israel Museum, Charlotte Bergman’s private home is one of the most fascinating and intriguing gems in Jerusalem. An avid art collector, Bergman bequeathed her rare collection to the Israel Museum on the condition that she would not have to part with it, continuing to live with it for nearly thirty years. Upon her passing in 2002, most of her collection was moved to the museum galleries.
Israel Prize Laureate for his pioneering performance artwork, Hadas Ophrat turned the spotlight to the Bergman House – a “cabinet of curiosities” at the heart of a museum. He traced the fine lines between private and public, personal and documentary, home and institution, and looked at the complex relationship between artists, collectors, museums, and visitors.
Moving between the spaces of the house, Bergman House: A Gallery Walk weaved together archival fragments from the museum’s collections and Bergman’s journals and letters. The collector’s life and spirit, which comes through her personal belongings and furniture, highlighted the tension between the presence of a personal-private enclave in a formal, demarcated public space, enhancing the sense of the uncanny. A dissolving durational performance that resonates with absence.
Created by: Hadas Ophrat / Partner artists: Hila Flashkes, Talia Keinan, Kineret Haya Max, Gai Sherf, Naomi Yoeli / Curator: Aya Miron.
Co-produced with and premiered at The Israel Festival.
