Yaacov Agam, the internationally renowned Israeli sculptor recognized worldwide as the father of kinetic art, died Sunday at the age of 98.

A recipient of the 2026 Israel Prize for Visual Arts, Agam was celebrated for his vibrant, abstract geometric shapes and interactive creations that fundamentally relied on viewer movement to be fully experienced.

President Isaac Herzog described Agam as “one of the most respected and recognized Israeli artists in the world.”

He gave the world “a unique artistic language of movement, change and renewal,” Herzog wrote in a post to X. “His works, which have become part of some of the most important museums and collections in the world, and also here at the President’s House, expressed an extraordinary creative vision and were a source of inspiration for generations of artists and creators.”

Herzog said he had been acquainted with Agam since his childhood, and “he was a fascinating man.”

“In every encounter with him, the passion, curiosity, and inexhaustible creativity that characterized him throughout his life were evident”

“Agam was a groundbreaking artist who gave Israeli creativity a unique and inspiring language,” Sports and Culture Minister Miki Zohar said in a statement. “His artistic legacy will continue to illuminate and influence generations of creators in Israel and around the world.”

The Yaacov Agam Museum in Rishon Lezion, which exhibits his works, said in a statement that “the world of Israeli art is parting from one of its groundbreaking creators.”

It described him as “one of the fathers of kinetic art in the world,” who “dedicated his life to innovative work that changed the face of modern art and influenced generations of artists around the world.”

Agam’s coffin will be placed for public viewing at the museum that bears his name from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, and his funeral procession will leave from the Rehovot military cemetery at 5 p.m., Channel 13 reported.

Born Yaacov Gibstein on May 11, 1928, in British Mandate Palestine, Agam grew up in the early Jewish settlement of Rishon Lezion. His father, Rabbi Yehoshua Gibstein, was a rabbi and a kabbalist, and Agam’s upbringing in a deeply religious home........

© The Times of Israel