Dov Karmi (; ‎1905 – 14 May 1962) was an architect of

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

and

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Biography

Dov Karmi was born in 1905, the son of Hannah and Sholom Weingarten, in Zhvanets,

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

, in modern-day Ukraine. In 1921, the family resettled in Mandatory Palestine, the future State of Israel. Karmi studied painting at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design , Jerusalem, but was attracted to architecture and went to Belgium to complete his studies in this field at

Ghent University Ghent University (, abbreviated as UGent) is a Public university, public research university located in Ghent, in the East Flanders province of Belgium. Located in Flanders, Ghent University is the second largest Belgian university, consisting o ...

Charles Bronfman Auditorium-Israel Philharmonic Orchestra-Bernstein Festival - Honoring his 100th Birthday Year

Architecture career

In 1932, Karmi moved to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

and co-founded the Circle, a group aiming to introduce modern architecture to the city. Alongside Zeev Rechter and Arieh Sharon, Karmi helped shape local architecture and became a leading figure in the professional and cultural elite. Later Karmi also worked with his son, Ram Karmi. During his professional career he designed more than two hundred buildings, mostly in Tel Aviv. Karmi's main style was modernist; he influenced a generation of Israeli architects.

Israel Prize

In 1957, Karmi was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

, for architecture, the first recipient of the Prize in this field.

Family

Karmi married Haia Maklev; the couple had two children, both of whom became notable architects. In 2002, Karmi's son, Ram Karmi, was awarded the Israel Prize for architecture and Carmi's daughter, Ada Karmi-Melamede, was awarded the Israel Prize for architecture, in 2007.

Major buildings

* Max-Liebling House, Tel Aviv, 1936 * Culture Palace, Tel Aviv, 1957 (with Zeev Rechter and Yaakov Rechter)

Contributions

* The

Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...

(Jerusalem, 1958-1966) was built after an initial plan by Joseph Klarwein, with modifications by Shimon Powsner, Dov and Ram Karmi, Bill Gillitt, and an interior design by

Dora Gad Dora Gad (; b. 1912, d. 31 December 2003) was an Israeli interior designer, whose work had significant influence on the development of modern Israeli architecture. Biography Dora Siegel (later Gad) was born in Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Romania. Sh ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karmi, Dov Architects from Mandatory Palestine Israeli architects Architects from Odesa Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design alumni Ghent University alumni Israel Prize in architecture recipients Soviet emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Odesa Jews 1905 births 1962 deaths 20th-century Israeli architects