Noa Eshkol (1924-2007) - Dance and compositions

Exhibition catalogue Noa Eshkol (1924–2007). Dance and Compositions, presented at the Museum of Jewish Art and History, Paris (16 April – 30 August 2026).

The Museum of Jewish Art and History is staging the first exhibition in France dedicated to the artist Noa Eshkol. The exhibition traces nearly half a century of her creative output, from the 1950s to the 2000s, showcasing both her Wall Carpets and her choreographic works through drawings, photographs and film footage.

Noa Eshkol (1924–2007), born on the kibbutz Degania Bet, was a leading figure in modern dance in Israel. In the 1950s, she developed, together with Avraham Wachman, the revolutionary Eshkol-Wachman Movement Notation (EWMN) system. In 1951, she founded the Chamber Dance Quartet to perform her choreographies based on this notation. Her pieces, danced without music but to the sole rhythm of the metronome, are distinguished by their precision, their simplicity and the emphasis placed on the collective.

The Yom Kippur War in 1973 marked a decisive turning point in her artistic career. Eshkol then brought her choreographic practice to a close to turn, alongside her dancers, to the creation of the Wall Carpets, large textile pieces made from used fabrics and clothing. Without rules or theory, she produced a body of work comprising nearly two thousand pieces that blend abstraction, landscape and still life. These wall carpets, created over a period of nearly thirty years, establish her as one of the most prolific and innovative artists of the 20th century, now being rediscovered by a new generation of artists and collectors.

This exhibition offers an opportunity to shed light on a figure who was both a leading figure in dance and a pioneer of textile art, whose unique career highlights several key issues: the role of dance in the early decades of the State of Israel, and its connections with the European and American avant-garde. It also explores the history and implications of the system of movement notation. The exhibition will also highlight the impact of historical events on Noa Eshkol’s work.