Ha-Tomer

Ha-Tomer, also rendered HaTomer and translated as “The Tomer,” was an art cooperative active in Tel Aviv-Yafo in 1920. Although short-lived, it occupies an important place in the history of modern art in the Yishuv, the Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine before the establishment of Israel. Its members were among the earliest artists in the region to advocate and practice modernist approaches rather than relying exclusively on established academic or decorative conventions. The cooperative also operated what is described as the first art gallery in the region, creating an early public setting for the presentation and sale of contemporary art. The group was founded by the collector Jacob Pereman. Its membership included the painter Yitzhak Frenkel, sculptor Liv Halperin, Miriam Had Gadya, and the artist couple Judith and Yosef Konstantinovsky, who later used the surname Constant. Ha-Tomer received support from the Job Ministry associated with Hapoel Hatzair in Jaffa. This support connected the cooperative to the practical economic realities of the period: its members needed to generate income while establishing a new artistic culture in a small and developing urban environment. The artists attempted to support themselves through commissions for the decoration of buildings and through sales of their work. Demand proved insufficient, so they broadened their activities into applied and educational work. They decorated ceramic vessels, books, posters, pamphlets, fountains, and other objects, and they established an art school in Jaffa. Two members, Yitzhak Frenkel and Yosef Constant, also taught art at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, extending the cooperative's influence beyond exhibitions and commercial work. Ha-Tomer rented an apartment in the Neve Shalom neighborhood of Tel Aviv-Yafo. The space functioned as a club for artists and art enthusiasts as well as a meeting place for the cooperative. Its rent was paid through the members' decorative commissions, illustrating the group's attempt to combine cultural activity with a collective economic model. The cooperative organized the “First Art Exhibition” in Eretz Israel, with the exhibition organized by Pereman and Constant and held at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium. The show lasted only a week before it was dismantled amid the unrest surrounding the 1920 pogrom. Even an effort by Tel Aviv mayor Meir Dizengoff to encourage purchases did not produce sufficient public demand. Financial hardship and limited appreciation for modernist art weakened the cooperative. In 1920, Judith and Yosef Constant left for Egypt, and Frenkel joined them before later traveling to Paris. Frenkel eventually returned in 1925, but the cooperative itself ceased functioning soon after the departure of its prominent members. Pereman continued exhibiting works associated with the group, preserving part of its artistic legacy after the collective had ended. Ha-Tomer therefore had a brief institutional life, but its gallery, exhibition, teaching, decorative work, and commitment to modernism made it a significant early experiment in organized art activity in the region.

Ha-Tomer emerged in 1920 in Tel Aviv-Yafo as an art cooperative founded by the collector Jacob Pereman. The cooperative brought together artists working in painting, sculpture, and decorative arts, including Yitzhak Frenkel, Liv Halperin, Miriam Had Gadya, and Judith and Yosef Konstantinovsky, later known as Constant. The group was supported by the Job Ministry of Hapoel Hatzair in Jaffa, a connection that helped the artists pursue a collective livelihood while contributing to the cultural development of the Yishuv. The cooperative's members faced a difficult commercial environment. There were few commissions and limited public demand for modernist work, so the artists supplemented the sale of paintings and other artworks with applied decorative production. Their activities included decorating buildings and fountains, ornamenting ceramic vessels, and producing designs for books, posters, and pamphlets. They also established an art school in Jaffa. Frenkel and Yosef Constant taught at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, allowing members to combine artistic practice with instruction and to introduce newer artistic ideas to students. Ha-Tomer rented an apartment in the Neve Shalom neighborhood. The apartment became a club and gathering place for artists and art lovers, and its rent was financed through the cooperative's decorative commissions. The group thus functioned not only as a production association but also as an exhibition venue, social center, and educational initiative. It is regarded as having operated the first art gallery in the region, an important development in the formation of a local art infrastructure. Pereman and Constant organized the cooperative's “First Art Exhibition” at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium. The exhibition presented works by members and associated artists, but it remained open for only one week. It was dismantled during the disturbances surrounding the 1920 pogrom. The exhibition also encountered weak commercial support; according to the historical account, even Tel Aviv mayor Meir Dizengoff was unable to persuade buyers to purchase the works. The cooperative's short existence was further undermined by financial pressure and a lack of recognition for modernist art. Judith and Yosef Constant left for Egypt in 1920, and Frenkel accompanied them before traveling onward to Paris. Frenkel returned in 1925, but Ha-Tomer had already stopped functioning as a collective soon after the departure of its leading members. Pereman continued to exhibit works associated with the cooperative, helping maintain its visibility after its organizational end. Ha-Tomer's institutional life was brief, but its historical importance derives from the range of functions it attempted to perform. It offered artists a cooperative economic structure, created an early gallery and meeting space, organized a pioneering exhibition, supported art education, and promoted modernist practice in a setting where the audience and market for such work were still developing. Its failure to achieve financial stability reflected the limitations of the period rather than the absence of artistic ambition. The cooperative is consequently remembered as one of the earliest organized modern-art groups in the Yishuv and as an early foundation for the later art culture of Tel Aviv.

• 1925

  Frenkel returns from Paris

  [1]Ha-Tomeren.wikipedia.org

  After leaving the cooperative and continuing to Paris, Yitzhak Frenkel returns in 1925; Ha-Tomer itself does not resume as a functioning collective.

• 1920

  Ha-Tomer is founded

  [1]Ha-Tomeren.wikipedia.org

  Collector Jacob Pereman establishes Ha-Tomer as an art cooperative in Tel Aviv-Yafo with a membership that includes Yitzhak Frenkel, Liv Halperin, Miriam Had Gadya, and Judith and Yosef Konstantinovsky.

• 1920

  A cooperative studio and artists' club are established

  [1]Ha-Tomeren.wikipedia.org

  The group rents an apartment in Neve Shalom, using it as a club for artists and art lovers and financing the rent through decorative commissions.

• 1920

  The First Art Exhibition in Eretz Israel

  [1]Ha-Tomeren.wikipedia.org

  Pereman and Constant organize an exhibition of the cooperative's work at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium. It closes after about a week amid the unrest surrounding the 1920 pogrom.

• 1920

  Prominent members depart and the cooperative declines

  [1]Ha-Tomeren.wikipedia.org

  Judith and Yosef Constant leave for Egypt, followed by Frenkel, and Ha-Tomer soon ceases functioning as an active cooperative.

An early artist-led cooperative positioned around modernist art, collective production, exhibition, education, and the creation of a local art audience.

• Fine art · 1920

  Modernist paintings and drawings

  The cooperative exhibited and sold works by artists associated with the emerging modernist movement in the Yishuv. Painting was central to its public identity, although the available historical account does not provide a complete catalogue of individual works.

• Decorative arts · 1920

  Decorative arts and applied design

  Because demand for paintings and commissions was limited, members produced decorative work for ceramic vessels, books, posters, pamphlets, fountains, and buildings. These commissions helped fund the cooperative and its Neve Shalom premises.

• Art education · 1920

  Art school in Jaffa

  Ha-Tomer established an art school in Jaffa as part of its effort to develop local artistic education. Frenkel and Constant also taught at the Herzliya Hebrew Gymnasium, extending the group's educational role.

1. 1Ha-Tomeren.wikipedia.org