Israel has many high-profile tourist sites, but every small town and city also has its own must-see attractions. One of these is The Agam Museum in Rishon LeTzion, the fourth-largest city in Israel.

According to Agam, it is the only museum in the world that is dedicated to art in motion.

The Agam Museum profiles and celebrates six decades of the work of artist Yaacov Agam, a pioneer and founding father of the Kinetic Art Movement. Everyone who has visited Tel Aviv has seen Agam’s iconic Fire and Water musical fountain in Dizengoff Square. Agam has said that the fire and water represent heaven, along with the rainbow colors of the fountain. The façade of the Dan Hotel and the Ne’eman Towers in Tel Aviv are also by the artist.

Unfortunately, The Fire and Water Fountain was renovated and stripped of its colorful, artistic details and technological mechanism, was done without the artist’s consent.

Agam sculptures can be seen in the public areas and in museums all over the world, including Paris, New York and Taiwan.

The Agam Museum, opened in 2017, has a rotating exhibition of Agam’s work on the first floor as well as guest exhibitions on the second floor. It is natural that the museum is located in the place of the artist’s birth. The 96-year-old artist celebrates his birthday at the museum every year.

Agam trained at the Bezalel School in Jerusalem, as well as in Zurich and in Paris.

Born Yaacov Gibstein, the artist changed his last name to something more Israeli and connected with nature. His father, Rabbi Yehoshua Gibstein, was a kabbalist. Agam’s art is inspired and founded in Jewish religious and kabbalistic themes.

One of his works, “Sulam Yaacov” “Jacob’s Ladder,” is positioned over a mirror, which gives the impression of an unending ladder. Yaacov is also the artist’s name so it has double significance.

Music is an important element in Agam’s artwork. He is a composer as well, and always carries a flute with him.

In 1996, he was awarded the Jan Amos Comenius Medal by UNESCO for the “Agam Method” for visual education of young children.

One of Agam’s more notable creations is the Hanukkah Menorah at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in New York City, sponsored by the Lubavitch Youth Organization. The 32-foot high, gold, 4,000-pound steel structure is recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “world’s largest menorah.”

When I inquired as to why a regular mezuzah featured in Agam’s collection isn’t on the door of the museum, I was told it was worth a lot of money. His work sells in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The thing about kinetic art is not only that it moves, but to appreciate it properly, you need to change your position and angle to view the entire story of the artwork. Thus, you become an integral part of the work. For example, one of the pictures changes from a Magen David to a menorah as you move around it. The colors change and create new symbols and abstract landscapes.

This makes the museum interactive, and suitable for young children (as long as they don’t touch anything). There is a lot of space on the museum floor as well. And the vibrant pastel colors, which are the trademark of the artist, appeal to children of all ages.

The colorful pillars outside the museum are dedicated to the memory of the artist’s late wife, Kelila.

In addition to Yaacov Agam’s permanent exhibition, the museum presents changing exhibitions of contemporary art and cultural events that correspond with his vision.

The museum takes about an hour to tour, and the price of admission is comparatively low.

The museum can be toured in English, either with a guide or with an app, and is wheelchair and handicapped accessible.

As Rishon LeTzion was founded in 1882, as the first Zionist settlement founded in Israel by the New Yishuv, it offers many historic places that are worth a visit while you’re in town (located off the Midrachov).

Agam Museum:

Tel: 03-5555900

Website: Yama.co.il

Address: 1 Meishar St., Rishon LeTzion

Hours: Monday and Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. (It’s advisable to call before visiting.)

With thanks to Tzion Geller for the recommendation.