Behind The Platform
Givon on Paper is an initiative that emerged from a collaboration between the Givon Art Collection and the artist and curator Assaf Hinden. This collaboration aims to promote and showcase a diverse range of artistic expressions found within the realm of paper-based art.
Givon Art Gallery was founded in 1975 by Shmuel Givon (1914-2000), a key figure in the history of Israeli art. Twenty years prior, in the 1950s, Shmuel and his wife Tamara Givon (1918-2004) began assembling an extensive art collection that has since become renowned within the art community. To this day, the collection is considered a significant part of the development and identity of Israeli art. The collection, which initially focused on artworks on paper, ultimately led to the opening of the Gallery. Following Shmuel Givon’s passing in 2000, the gallery and collection have been owned and managed by his daughters, Noemi Givon and Nurit Wolf.
Moshe Kupferman, Untitled, 1995, oil and graphite on paper, 26.6 x 19 cm / 10.4 x 7.48 inches
Since the establishment of the gallery, Noemi Givon has played a significant role in shaping its artistic identity through her joint work with her father. She also initiated another art space, The Noemi Givon Contemporary Art, which was inaugurated in 1980 and focused on avant-garde modernist art. Eventually, she returned to Givon Art Gallery, where she has served as the artistic director and chief curator ever since. Noemi Givon is also the founder and director of Givon Art Forum (2011), and an art collector. In 2000, Nurit Wolf, an art lover and lawyer by profession, joined the gallery as a partner. Nurit holds the role of administrative and accounting manager, and manages both the gallery and the art collection together with Noemi Givon.
Assaf Hinden, a visual artist and curator, is co-founder, partner and artistic director of Givon on Paper (2024). Hinden operated the Givon Art Gallery during 2021-2022. He holds an MA from The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium and a BFA from The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem, Israel. Hinden’s works have been exhibited in numerous institutions, such as the Lentos Museum Linz (Austria), Braverman Gallery (Tel Aviv, Israel), Fotomuseum Winterthur (Winterthur, Switzerland), The Benaki Museum (Athens, Greece), and The Lobby Art Space (Tel Aviv, Israel). Also a freelance curator, he has curated various exhibitions, including “Foreshadowing” (Edmond de Rothschild Foundation, Tel Aviv, 2024), “No Rainbows Without Rain” (Charity Exhibition for Beit Dror, Supporting At-Risk LGBTQ+ Youth); and co-curated the shows “Text(ile)” with Camea Smith (Meron Capital, Tel Aviv, 2023), “Last Call” (Indie Gallery, Tel Aviv, 2020), and the group show “Talking Bones'' with Bar Yerushalmi (Artspace TLV, 2017).
The Givon on Paper initiative was launched in 2024.