01In brief
Joshua Neustein (born 1940) is a Jewish-American artist who immigrated to Israel in 1964. His collaborative Jerusalem River Project (1970) used loudspeakers along a dry wadi to evoke the sound of rushing water, becoming one of the first conceptual artworks created in Jerusalem. A pioneer of conceptual art, he has worked across drawing, installation, and environmental art; a Tel Aviv Museum of Art exhibition scheduled for January–June 2026 was announced as a return to the river project through stainless-steel panels and sound.
02Early Life
Neustein was born in 1940 and is identified as a Jewish-American artist. He immigrated to Israel in 1964, where he became associated with a generation of young Jewish-American artists linked to the growing Americanization of Israeli art.[1]
03Career
Active in Israel since the 1960s, Neustein expanded the boundaries of drawing, installation, and environmental art.[3]
In 1970, Neustein collaborated with Gerard Marx and Georgette Battle on the Jerusalem River Project, placing loudspeakers along a wadi to introduce the sound of rushing water into Jerusalem’s dry environment.[1] Small speakers positioned along the valley facing Abu Tor played running-water sounds; thirsty goats mistook them for actual water and nibbled on the cables.[2] The work linked the imagined river to Zechariah’s prophecy that, upon Israel’s redemption, “live waters will come forth out of Jerusalem.”[1] Another interpretation emphasized the contrast between Jerusalem’s arid landscape and an imagined river flowing through the Kidron Valley.[2]
The broader Israeli art scene of the 1970s reflected American trends in conceptual art, performance, environmental art, and minimalism.[1] Across the years 1967–83, encompassing three wars, Israeli art also saw a shift away from collective national identity toward private identity.[1]
Neustein’s conceptual video Crimes of Sunflowers (1996) was named in Hebrew, Arabic, and English.[4] It appeared among the relatively few works using the sunflower motif in an exhibition of Israeli artists paying homage to Vincent van Gogh, discussed in 2009.[4] A painting by Neustein was also included in Bertha Urdang: A Gallery of Her Own at the Israel Museum, an exhibition on view until October 2020 that brought together works from Urdang’s collection and from private collections and museums with which she was involved.[5]
04Legacy
Jerusalem River occupies an early place in both conceptual art in Jerusalem and sound art in Israel.[2][3] Neustein’s pioneering role in conceptual art extends to recognition both in Israel and internationally.[3]
His exhibition You Cannot Enter the Same River Twice at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art was scheduled for January 16–June 20, 2026.[3] The announced presentation was framed as a return to his iconic 1970 river work.[6] A new work made for the museum gallery was to imagine a river winding through the space, using stainless-steel panels and sound.[3] The exhibition was described as exploring whether land art could be reconstructed inside a museum, while addressing movement, time, memory, nature, representation, and the institution.[3]
Sources
- 1Jewish Virtual Library, Ancient and Modern Art, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 2The Jerusalem Post, Art Roundup: Jerusalem goats, Tivon portraits and a Nigerian funeral, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 3Mako, The acclaimed creator’s adaptation of the beloved classic, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 4The Jerusalem Post, Reuven Rubin introduces Vincent, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 5The Times of Israel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 6Walla! Culture, Pop art, charcoal, and a tribute to Bezalel: This year’s exhibitions at the Tel Aviv Museum, accessed on November 11, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
Who is Joshua Neustein?
Joshua Neustein is a Jewish-American artist who immigrated to Israel in 1964 and became a pioneer of conceptual art. His work spans drawing, installation, and environmental art, and his 1970 Jerusalem River Project is among the first conceptual artworks created in Jerusalem.
What was the Jerusalem River Project?
The Jerusalem River Project was a 1970 collaborative artwork by Joshua Neustein, Gerard Marx, and Georgette Battle that used loudspeakers along a dry wadi to play the sound of rushing water. Small speakers along the valley facing Abu Tor played running-water sounds, and thirsty goats mistook them for actual water and nibbled on the cables. The work evoked an imagined river in Jerusalem’s arid landscape.
How did Israeli art change between 1967 and 1983?
Between 1967 and 1983, a period encompassing three wars, Israeli art saw a shift away from collective national identity toward private identity. The broader Israeli art scene of the 1970s also reflected American trends in conceptual art, performance, environmental art, and minimalism.
What is Joshua Neustein’s Crimes of Sunflowers?
Crimes of Sunflowers is a conceptual video by Joshua Neustein from 1996, named in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. It was among the relatively few works using the sunflower motif in an exhibition of Israeli artists paying homage to Vincent van Gogh, discussed in 2009.
What was Joshua Neustein’s 2026 exhibition at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art about?
Joshua Neustein’s exhibition You Cannot Enter the Same River Twice was scheduled to run at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art from January 16 to June 20, 2026. It was framed as a return to his 1970 river work, with a new gallery piece imagining a river winding through the space using stainless-steel panels and sound. The exhibition was described as exploring whether land art could be reconstructed inside a museum, along with movement, time, memory, nature, representation, and the institution.