Imagine artists gathering here at the Printing Office in Jerusalem. The air is thick with ink and anticipation. This is where Israeli printmaking history unfolds.
The story of the Printing Office in Jerusalem begins long before this building existed. It stretches back to 1577. The first printing press in the Land of Israel was established in Safed. Eliezer and Abraham ben Isaac Ashkenazi were partners.
However, modern printmaking in Israel truly began in the 19th century. Printing houses emerged in Jerusalem. They incorporated artistic images into texts. Yisrael Bak established the first Hebrew printing house in 1841. He started in Safed but moved to Jerusalem. Bak used presses and tools from Europe. His first press was a wooden table with a heavy metal plate. In 1842, Moses Montefiore gave Bak printing presses.
Christian printing houses also played a role. The Armenian St. James Printing House was founded in 1833. The Franciscan printing house followed in 1846. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate established a printing house in 1853. The Schneller Orphanage added one in 1885.
These early printing houses used letterpress printing. They included woodcut illustrations. These illustrations often decorated title pages. The pages featured frames and images of the Holy Land. Printers also made decorated certificates. They created plaques and sacred pictures. Some printing blocks were made in-house. Others were commissioned from artists.
The Salomon Printing House introduced lithography. Yoel Moshe Salomon and Michal HaCohen founded it. They learned the technique in Konigsberg. They printed a pamphlet detailing lithographic printing. Their goal was to challenge Bak’s printing monopoly. One of their first works was “Shoshanta” in 1862. It featured photographs of Jerusalem landmarks.
A.L. Monsohn Lithography began in 1892. It used a hand press at first. In 1894, it acquired a machine from Europe. It could produce 1,000 pages per hour. Monsohn created prints from artists like Rozin and Mizrachi. They used photographs in their lithographs.
The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Crafts was founded in 1906. It influenced Israeli printmaking. Hermann Struck was a prominent Jewish artist. He worked with Expressionists in Europe. Struck’s book, “The Art of Etching,” was very successful. Jacob Steinhardt and Joseph Budko studied with Struck. They also explored Jewish themes in their art.
In 1909, Bezalel opened a lithography department. Avraham Gershowitz headed it. The department produced a limited number of artistic works. Boris Schatz admitted they lacked proper printing equipment. In 1923, Ze’ev Raban and Meir Gur Arie established the Industrial Art Studio. Jacob Eisenberg printed etchings in his home workshop.
During the 1930s, many artists immigrated to Israel. They brought European modernism with them. The Jewish National Fund used prints on stamps. This connected art to Zionist ideals.
The Tel Aviv Museum opened in 1934. One hall was dedicated to print works. Mordecai Narkis published a dictionary of graphic arts in 1937. The New Bezalel School for Arts and Crafts opened in 1935. It focused on practical graphics.
The Jerusalem Print Workshop was founded in 1974. It became a center for printmaking techniques. Thousands of artists have used the workshop. It has hosted famous international artists. The Jerusalem Foundation has supported the workshop’s facilities. The workshop commissions prints and offers exhibitions.
Today the Printing Office in Jerusalem stands as a testament to this rich history. It is a place where tradition meets innovation. It is where artists continue to shape the story of Israeli printmaking.