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Israel Zafrir (June 8, 1911 – December 3, 2016) was an Israeli photographer. Zafrir is considered one of the founding fathers of modern documentary photography in Israel.
Biography
Zafrir was born in Tel Aviv. He and his wife Georgette were residents of Bat Yam. They divorced very late in life (both were in their 80s).
Photography career
From the 1950s, Zafrir documented works of art for artists and museums in Israel. These photographs were published in catalogs and books on art history, such as Art in Israel (1965) by art critic Ran Shechori. Zafrir photographed the works of many prominent artists including members of the New Horizons ("Ofakim Hadashim") group, Yosef Zaritsky, Yitzhak Danziger and Yechiel Shemi. In the 1960s, Zafrir held a number of exhibits featuring his photographs of monuments and statues. In May 1960 he exhibited at Yad Lebanim in Petach Tikva, and in September 1966, at the Youth Center of the Workers Association in Ramla.
Archive
Zafrir donated his entire photography collection to The Israel Museum, Jerusalem. The Israel Zafrir Archive is housed at the museum's Information Center for Israeli Art. It contains some 20,000 negatives, positives and slides documenting the work of many of the leading Israeli artists of the mid- and late-twentieth century. Most of the collection consists of black and white photographs, although some are in color. The Information Center is in the process of digitizing and cataloging the collection to make the images more accessible. This work is produced as a joint project of the Judaica Division of the Harvard Library and the Israel Museum.
Publications of his photographs
- Jacques Loutchansky. Sculptures. 1957 (Hebrew)
- Aaron Priver. Sculptures . Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Y. Chechick, 1959 (Hebrew)
- Oren Baruch. Stories of Ahad Ha'm. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Yad LeBanim [Memorial Hall for Fallen Soldiers] 1960 (Hebrew)
- Arie Resnik. Selected Works 1942-1962 - Sculptures. 1963 (Hebrew)
- Benjamin Tammuz & Max Wykes-Joyce, eds. Art in Israel. Tel-Aviv: Massada Publishing (Hebrew) 1963; English, 1965.
- Israel: VIII Sao Paulo Biennale 1965. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: United Artists, 1965 (Hebrew)
- Israel: XXXIII Venice Biennale 1966. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Jerusalem: Ministry of Education 1966 (Hebrew)
- David Meshulam: Paintings, 1960-1968. Photography, Israel Zafrir and Ran Erde. Tel-Aviv: Z. Reuben, 1969. (Hebrew)
- Moshe Levine. The Tabernacle: Its Structure and Utensils. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Melechet Hamiskan, 1969
- Nachum Gutman. City of Sand and Sea - Mosaic History of Tel Aviv - Jaffa. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Ramat Gan: Massada, 1979
- Ran Shechori. Art in Israel. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Sadan Publishing, 1974.
- Ehud Ben Ezer. Nahum Gutman. Givataim: Masada, 1984
- Mirah Vikselbaum. In two stages - Poems and photographs of sculptures. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Akad, 1985 (Hebrew)
- Elisheva Cohen. Anna Ticho Photography, Israel Zafrir. Jerusalem: The National Council for Culture and the Arts, 1986 (Hebrew)
- Mirah Vikselbaum. Heads of a Woman. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Akad, 1986 (Hebrew)
- Miriam Or. Sioma Baram: His Art. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Arieli Press, 1986. (Hebrew)
- Ariella Epstein. B. Lishansky. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: MOD Publishing, 1988. (Hebrew)
- Ruth Horam. Ruth Horam, Paintings. Photography, Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: R. Horam Sabinsky Press, 1992.
- Daṿid Toren. She Threw Herself from the Window. Poems illustrated with sculptures by Mirah Vikselbaum photographed by Israel Zafrir. Tel-Aviv: Akad, 1992 (Hebrew)
- Genia Berger. Works for the Theatre. 1994
- Yosl Bergner, A Retrospective. Exhibition catalogue. 2000
- Yona Fischer, ed. Jacob Zim. Photography, Israel Zafrir and Ran Erde. Tel-Aviv: IQ. 2003