In Memoriam

Yaacov Agam

Designer of the March of the Living Logo

Celebrated Israeli kinetic artist Yaacov Agam, who designed the official logo of the International March of the Living, passed away today at 98 years of age.

His geometric Star of David artwork, which Agam designed specifically for the very first March of the Living in 1988, eloquently symbolizes the educational journey from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah, organized annually by the International March of the Living.

Agam, who was born in Rishon LeZion in 1928, received the Israel Prize, Israel’s highest civilian honor, earlier this year at age 97. The prize committee commented on his 70-year contribution to Israeli and international art: “Agam broke the boundaries of plastic art as it was known and created new languages of kinetic art and Op art.”

Agam’s works have been featured in the world’s leading museums and exhibitions and are included in collections at the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Pompidou Center in Paris. His works also appear at the White House in Washington and at important artistic venues in New York, Miami, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Paris and Taipei.

“Agam took part in one of the first Marches, in 1990. He was with me on the bus visiting the camps in Poland together with a number of Holocaust survivors who in those days were only in their sixties. That March was an exceptionally moving and emotional experience, especially because of him taking part in it.”

Baruch Adler, co-founder of the International March of the Living in 1988 and current Vice Chair, recalling meeting Agam in 1990

“Since 1988, some 300,000 individuals, young and old alike, Holocaust survivors and students, Jewish participants and people of good will of diverse backgrounds and faiths, have joined the March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau. Over the 38-year history of the program, many of those participants proudly wore their blue jackets during the March with Agam’s eloquent March of the Living logo emblazoned on the back — and many still wear these same jackets proudly today. Agam’s evocative artistry of memory and resilience is intertwined and synonymous with the mission of the March of the Living.”

Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, President of the International March of the Living and a friend of Agam’s

“His passing marks the end of an era,” she concluded. “May his memory be a blessing as his legacy continues to march on.”