The Metaphoric Land of Jewish Art and the Imagined History of Israeli Art

Abstract: This article presents an alternative interpretation of Martin Buber's concept of "Jewish land," distinct from that of Israeli art historiography. Relying on Buber's "Address on Jewish Art" at the Fifth Zionist Congress, Israeli art history has adopted as its foundational paradigm the notion that the national Israeli art style originates exclusively from the territory encompassing the State of Israel, devoid of diasporic roots. I will demonstrate that Buber's words have been taken out of context and argue for a metaphorical interpretation of these concepts, emphasizing human community. Through a rereading of the text, comparison with essays written by Buber around the same period, and examination of the reception of his words six and eight decades later, it becomes evident that for Buber, "land" served as a metaphor—one that later sparked the imagination of Israeli art historians.