Exhibit celebrates Alterman’s century

Exhibition dedicated to life and work of poet opens at Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv.

By BARRY DAVIS
An exhibition dedicated to the life and work of poet Natan Alterman opens at the Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv on Tuesday. The event marks the centenary of Alterman’s birth and takes a retrospective look at the man and his manifold artistic endeavor, as a poet, playwright, songwriter and, most intriguingly, a man of the street.
The exhibition, which runs until mid-June, is divided into different sections. The Alterman public domain section features his weekly current affairs column, written in rhyme, which ran in the Davar and Haaretz newspapers for over 30 years.
The exhibition also includes a room devoted to Alterman’s songwriting work, with displays of some of his lyrics and songs piped through the sound system. The playwright section contains photographs, sketches posters and copies of reviews of his plays, including the likes of Kinneret Kinneret, Pundak Haruhot (The Ghosts’ Inn) and Esther Hamalka (Queen Esther).
Beyond Alterman’s rich body of work the exhibition will offer thepublic more than a glimpse of the man’s private life, with photographsdating back to his childhood in Warsaw, through his years in Israel –some documenting his star role in the bohemian side of life in Tel Aviv– caricatures he drew and correspondence with his only daughter, writerand actress Tirza Atar.
For more information: www.eretzmuseum.org.il.