Cameo Portrait of Artist, Michael Ende
An 8th generation Jerusalemite, Michael Ende was born in 1945 and began creating Judaica in 1970. He has become one of Israel’s leading designers of Jewish ceremonial art, winning numerous international design prizes and awards.
The government of Israel presented his art to many royalties and governments around the world. He made the peace medal presented by Israel to Egypt. He also created items for the kings of Spain and Morocco, Queen Elizabeth, Margaret Thatcher, the White House and Michael Gorbachov.
One of Israel’s top creative designers as well, Ende has expressed his talents in textiles, interactive media, watches and futuristic art forms. His watches and sportswear were received in Israel and in the United States with great success. He is the only artist in the Middle East successfully designing and manufacturing watches.
Ende utilizes his creativity in business development liaisons as well as applications and products shaping, packaging, inventing and enhancing design peripherals. He also specializes in high tech sub-miniature systems and fine mechanics.
Israel’s National Museum
The Israel Museum was established in 1965 as Israel’s national museum, to collect, preserve, study and display the cultural and artistic treasures of the Jewish people throughout the ages. It also encourages original Israeli works of art and exhibits the art, ethnology and archaeology of the Land of Israel and its neighboring countries.
The Israel Museum’s Ethnographic Collection preserves, studies and displays Western Art of different periods and streams, as well as contemporary art. Other departments and areas in the museum include Judaica, Archaeology, the Youth Wing and the five-acre Sculpture Garden. The Shrine of the Book houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Biblical texts.
Located in Jerusalem on the Hill of Tranquillity, The Israel Museum is surrounded by the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University, the Knesset and the Supreme Court Building.