Amnon Barzel

Amnon Barzel (Hebrew: אמנון ברזל‎‎, born 1935, in Tel Aviv) is an internationally known curator and author.

Barzel is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he majored in Natural Science. Barzel earned his post-graduate degree at the University La Sorbonne in Paris, France, in Art History.

Upon his return to Israel he became a lecturer at the Avni Institute. From the 1970 onwards he contributed regularly to the prestigious Israeli Newspaper Ha'aretz; in addition he was a lecturer at the University of Haifa on 20th-century art and in 1971 became a founding Editor of the IsraelI Art Magazine "Painting and Sculpture".

He was appointed Curator at the Venice Biennale for the Israeli Pavilion 1976 to 1980 where he presented Dani Karavan, Menashe Kadishman, Micha Ullman and Moshe Gershuni. In 1985 he curated the Israeli Pavilion at the Biennale in São Paulo, Brazil. In 1977-8, he was Art Consultant to the mayor of Tel Aviv. Other international activities included: Artistic Director of The European Sculpture City (Unesco), Turku, Finland (1992–95); Artistic Director of the Targetti Art Light Collection, Firenze, Italy; From 1995, Consultant for the Phoenix international art Collection, Tel Aviv; 1985- Consultant of the Leube Foundation, Gartenau, Salzburg; 1994-1997 Director of the Berlin Jewish Museum, 1997- Artistic Director of the Premio Mercedes Benz for Contemporary Art, Monte Firidolfi (Fi),1998 Artistic Director of Artostrada; International project of environmental sculpture, Israel, 1997-8.

His departure from the Berlin Jewish Museum came after a controversy about the museum's independence.

Author and editor of more than 100 art books, monographs and catalogs, including:

• Art in Israel Politi ad. Milano, Italy; 1987.
• Two Environments for Peace, Firenze – Prato, Il Bisonte,1078.
• The Prato museum catalogues (from 1988 to 1993).
• Europe Now, Centro D/Electa; Spaces '88, Electa; Altrove, Giunti, Firenze, Italy.
• Utopia-Italian Art, Palladion A.G. Zurich, Switzerland, 1993.
• The Berlin Jewish Museum catalogues 1994-98.
• Arte e Industria, Marcos y Marcos, Milano, Italy; 1996.
• Deutschland Bilder, Dumont, Koln, Germany, 1997.
• German Art, Yale University Press; 1998.
• Joseph Beuys, 2001 Silvana Editoriale, Italy.
• Franco Ionda, monography, Motta Editore, 2001.
• Dialoghi Europei d’Arte, Editoriale Modo; 2002.
• Emblema,"Colore e Trasparenza", Torcular Ed. 2005.
• Viola, Re-thinking Nature, Skira 2005.
• Re-Thinking Nature: Franco Viola, Electa 2005.
• Targetti Light Art, 2002 and 2005.
• Israel: Hundred years of Art and Life, Proedi Ed. Milano 2006.
• Hans Hartung, Monography, 5 Continents Milano, 2007.
• Arte Ambientale, Villa Celle Sculpture Park, GliOri ed.2008.