Art and designנפתלי אבנון

Naftali Avnon

Naftali Avnon was a photographer, cameraman, graphic designer and author who studied at the Bauhaus and headed the first film unit of the Israeli armed forces in 1948.

1910 to 1977Bauhaus photographyLeading the 1948 military film unitPhotojournalism for Keren Hayesod

Born: 10 April 1910, Pinsk
Died: 22 June 1977, Tel Aviv
Occupation: photographer, cinematographer, graphic artist, author
Education: Bauhaus

Naftali Avnon was born in 1910 in Pinsk

Naftali Avnon was born Naftali Rubinstein on April 10, 1910, in Pinsk, to a wealthy Zionist family. He went to high school in Warsaw until 10th grade. As a youth he joined Hashomer Hatzair.

In 1928 he moved to Dessau and studied printing and advertising at the Bauhaus. His teachers included Josef Albers and Joost Schmidt, and he took rehearsal photographs of a Bauhaus dance piece. In 1929 he took part in the Film und Foto exhibition in Stuttgart.

After the Bauhaus he moved to Paris. Around 1934 he opened a graphic design and photography studio in Warsaw. He first visited Palestine in 1936, following his parents, and settled in Tel Aviv in 1938.

From 1936 to 1942 he worked as a photojournalist for Keren Hayesod and the JNF. He joined the film department of the labor union, headed by Helmar Lerski, and mixed with young Israeli artists and writers. He died on June 22, 1977, in Tel Aviv.

Milestones in Naftali Avnon's life

1910
Born in Pinsk.
1928
Began studies at the Bauhaus in Dessau.
1929
Took part in the Film und Foto exhibition in Stuttgart.
1936
Visited Palestine for the first time.
1938
Settled in Tel Aviv.
1941
Began serving in a British Army mapping and photography unit.
1948
Led the new film unit of the Maps and Photographs Department.
1977
Died in Tel Aviv.

Naftali Avnon served in the military

He served in a British Army cartography and photography unit from 1941 to 1945, then in the Hagana's map and photo service. In 1948 he led the film sub-unit of the armed forces' Maps and Photographs Department.