ByELLIOT HELLER

Bruno Art Group's story began in 1909, when Marco (Mordechai) Abramovitz opened a gallery in Bucharest. This marked the start of a story which would go on to span over a century and three generations, and lay the foundation for what would later become a global art powerhouse.

In 1960, Marco’s son, Bruno, immigrated to Israel. By 1964, he had established a gallery and framing atelier in Tel Aviv, quickly becoming a trusted name in the industry. In 1973, the gallery moved to Ben Yehuda Street, where it remains today. It was there that Bruno’s youngest son Mordechai (Motti) grew up surrounded by Israel’s most celebrated artists. Amongst these artists were Yaacov Agam, Reuven Rubin, Marcel Janco and others.

Agam Star of Love - Right
Agam Star of Love - Right (credit: RAN ERDE)


After completing his military service in 1995, Motti joined the gallery, continuing a familial legacy. Under Motti’s leadership, the gallery expanded internationally, becoming a key player in the U.S. art market through partnerships with cruise ships and global art fairs. In 2010, Bruno Art Group solidified its presence in Asia with the opening of its flagship gallery in Singapore, before later expanding to India and Korea. Now, Bruno Art Group is a global name in art, and continues to nurture close relationships with some of Israel's young upcoming artists, as well as the biggest names in Israeli art.


Renowned for its expertise in the Kinetic, Pop, and Dada art movements, Bruno Art Group represents iconic artists such as Yaacov Agam, Marcel Janco, and David Gerstein. The group also represents a distinguished collection of World Masters including Dali, Chagall, Miro, Picasso and Andy Warhol.

Yaacov Agam

Bruno Art Group is especially proud of its close, long-lasting relationship with Yaacov Agam, founder of the ‘Kinetic Art Movement’ and one of the last great masters of art. Agam is celebrated for his groundbreaking exploration of movement, perception, and interactivity. Agam’s works invite viewers to engage actively, shifting perspectives to reveal ever-changing compositions. His masterpiece, the polymorph, is a hallmark of his innovative approach, blending vibrant color and dynamic form to create art that transforms before the eyes.

Agam Star of Love - Left
Agam Star of Love - Left (credit: RAN ERDE)


Born in 1928 in Rishon LeZion, Agam studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, before moving to Zurich in 1949. There he studied under Bauhaus master Johannes Itten, and was influenced by Max Bill. In 1951, Agam settled in Paris, where he lived and worked for many decades.


As the founder of the Kinetic Art Movement, Agam transformed modern art by introducing the dimensions of time, movement, and viewer participation. His first solo exhibition took place in 1953 at Galerie Craven, Paris, and two years later he exhibited alongside Tinguely, Pol Bury, Jesús Soto, and Victor Vasarely in the groundbreaking 1955 Galerie Denise René show that came to define kinetic art.


Rooted in Jewish philosophy, Agam’s work expresses the spiritual idea of constant change and becoming. “My intention,” he wrote, “was to create a work of art which would transcend the visible—a partial revelation, not the perpetuation of the existing.”


Agam’s creations – ranging from paintings and reliefs to monumental fountains and architectural facades – transform with light, movement, and the viewer’s perspective. His public works include the Dizengoff Square Fountain in Tel Aviv, the La Défense Fountain in Paris, and major installations in Miami, Taipei, and cities around the world.


Star of Love (1983): Agam's signature technique uses ridged, sculptural surfaces so a single work reads differently depending on the viewer’s angle, with the image only fully resolving as the viewer moves past it. (Credit: Ran Erde)


One recurring technique, seen in works like Star of Love (1983), uses ridged, sculptural surfaces so a piece reads differently depending on the angle it's viewed from. In Star of Love, two interlocking triangles — one red, one blue — form a Star of David that, per the gallery's description, represents a man and a woman coming together, turning a religious symbol into one of love. Seen from the right, there is no hint of the star at all; it only resolves as the viewer moves toward the left — an effect the gallery ties to Agam's broader theme of the "hidden and revealed," and to the way the piece changes as the light around it shifts.


Boasting the largest Yaacov Agam collection in the world and being an active supporter of the Agam Museum in Rishon LeZion, Bruno Art Group is the leading international professional source of Agam's art and history. Over the last decade, it has held retrospective exhibitions of Agam’s work in India, the U.S., and Singapore, spreading the central message of Kinetic art: “being is becoming.”

What’s new

Earlier this year, the gallery paired Agam with younger kinetic artist Patrick Rubinstein in an exhibition called "Beyond the Visible" at its Singapore gallery, running March 5–31 and featuring around 50 works priced from roughly ₪11,700 to over ₪2.3 million. Such a pairing — a 97-year-old founder of a movement alongside an artist still working in its tradition — is as clear a sign as any that kinetic art is as relevant today as ever.

Written in collaboration with Bruno Art Group