Dora Gad (Hebrew דורה גד; b. 1912, d. 31 December 2003)[1] was an Israeli interior designer, whose work had significant influence on the development of modern Israeli architecture.

Dora Gad
Dora Gad, 1966
Dora Gad, 1966
Born1912
Câmpulung, Romania
Died(2003-12-31)31 December 2003
NationalityIsraeli
OccupationInterior designer
Known forIsrael Prize

Biography edit

Dora Siegel (later Gad) was born in Câmpulung Moldovenesc,[citation needed][dubious ] Romania.[dubious ] She grew up in the home of her grandfather, and attended Hebrew school and a government-run school. Between 1930 and 1934, she studied at the Technische Universität in Vienna, and received her diploma in engineering and architecture. There she met her future husband, Heinrich Yehezkel Goldberg, an architecture student. They married in 1936, immigrated to Mandatory Palestine and settled in Tel Aviv. In 1959 she married Ephraim Ben-Artzi, a former general and public figure.[citation needed]

Interior design career edit

Gad began her career in the office of architect Oskar Kaufmann. In 1938 she began to work independently. In 1942 she began to design private apartments together with her husband. Her style was light and modern, drawing from local inspiration; abundant light, and local building materials. Gad incorporated locally available fabrics, wool carpets, woven work, straw and felt in her designs. Her style set her apart from many European educated architects of the day, who maintained more European styles of architecture.[2]

By the 1950s, the couple were already prominent interior designers in Israel. They were involved in the planning of many government buildings and institutions.

After the death of Yehezkel Gad in 1958, Gad established a partnership with Arieh Noy, an employee in her office. The Gad-Noy firm continued to work on governmental projects, and they were responsible, in 1965, for the design of the Israel Museum, together with architect Al Mansfeld, and in 1966, for the interior design of the Knesset building.[3]

The Gad-Noy firm operated until 1976. Gad continued to work independently in both the public and private sectors until her death, in 2003.

Notable projects edit

Awards and recognition edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Dora Gad (in Hebrew) Archived 28 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine The Israel Museum, Information Center for Israeli Art
  2. ^ Sheḥori, Ran (1997). Dora Gad: the Israeli presence in interior design. אדריכלות ישראלית. ISBN 965-222-754-4.
  3. ^ The official Knesset website
  4. ^ http://www.mouse.co.il/CM.articles_item,1018,209,29459,.aspx Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (Hebrew)
  5. ^ "The full story of the Knesset building". Knesset homepage. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  6. ^ http://www.nrg.co.il/online/55/ART1/730/333.html#after_maavaron (Hebrew)
  7. ^ Wharton, Annabel Jane (2001). Building the Cold War: Hilton International hotels and modern architecture. University of Chicago. p. 116. ISBN 0-226-89419-3. Link
  8. ^ "Israel Prize Official Site – Recipients in 1966 (in Hebrew)".
  9. ^ Slyomovics, Susan (1998). The object of memory: Arab and Jew narrate the Palestinian village. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-8122-1525-0. Link
  10. ^ Davidi, Sigal. "Dora Gad". jwa.org. Jewish Women's Archive.