The modest-looking pavilion was inaugurated in January 1959 under the name Helena Rubinstein Pavilion, after the founder of the renowned cosmetics empire whose donation to the Helena Rubinstein Foundation made the construction of this pavilion possible. The opening ceremony was attended by Ms. Rubinstein, then Mayor Chaim Levanon, and many artists.
The Museum’s offices, library, and exhibition spaces were housed at the pavilion for the next twelve years, till the 1971 inauguration of the Museum’s permanent building on Shaul Hamelech Boulevard. The pavilion’s upper level featured for many years miniature period rooms from the Helena Rubinstein Collection and a glassware collection. In the late 1980s, the name of the pavilion was changed to the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art, and it started showing changing exhibitions of various international and Israeli art genres and forms, which attracted many visitors.
In early 2019, the Museum received a generous donation from the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation for a comprehensive and thorough renovation of the pavilion, to elevate it to current museum requirements. When the renovation is completed, the building will be called The Eyal Ofer Building for the Arts. The pavilion will continue to be an integral part of the complex of artistic and urban operations of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, while maximizing the advantage of its location in the cultural hub at the heart of the White City.
As part of the renovation, the Eyal & Marilyn Ofer Family Foundation has asked the Museum to ensure that the past support of the Helena Rubinstein Foundation is appropriately commemorated.
