Bar-Am, who immigrated to Israel (then Palestine) from Berlin with his family in 1936, has been the country’s preeminent photographer since 1956, responsible for capturing iconic images of Israel to be seen by the rest of the world. Friend and colleague Cornell Capa has described Bar-Am’s photographs as “those of a man of integrity, conscience, and courage. They provide eloquent and powerful testimony of a half-century of Israel’s tumultuous existence, where those qualities of true witness are indispensable.” The exhibition offers a compelling selection of Bar-Am’s photographs spanning over fifty years. Bar-Am’s long and productive career has been about the imagery of Israel – it’s history, people, and land; the photographs underscore Bar-Am’s role as constant witness and the sensitivity with which he has chronicled his surroundings. Images of hostages returning from Entebbe are imbued with a tender human quality, as is that of a family forced to wear gasmasks in their o wn home during the Gulf War. A 1982 photograph of Taba Beach offers an amusing look at the multi-cultural nature of life in Israel—half-nude bathers are approached by fully clad Bedouins, camel and goats in tow, attempting to sell their wares.

Included in the exhibition is a selection of pictures of dignitaries: a contemplative Golda Meir, flying in a helicopter over Sinai; Moshe Dayan at the Kalandya Refugee Camp in the West Bank in 1967; and a candid shot of a wounded Ariel Sharon crossing the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War. Additionally, there will be several portraits of celebrities such as Isaac Beshevis Singer and Marc Chagall.