Among its first occupants is the famouse Willihem Shapira who was a Jerusalem antiquities dealer and purveyor of fake Biblical artifacts.
Dr. Avraham Albert Ticho and his cousin Anna were born in Moravia, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that time. Ticho completed his medical studies in Vienna where he specialized in ophtalmology at the Rudolph Hospital and bacame a famous Doctor.
Anna began studying art at the age of fifteen, also in Vienna. During 1912, Dr. Ticho was sent by the Frankfurt-based organization Lema’an Tzion to open an eye clinic in the holy city and Anna followed him and they married.
The impact of the Jerusalem landscape, with its barren hills, was such that for a number of years Anna Ticho could not paint. She began drawing again while in Damascus where her husband was stationed during the first world war.
The Tichos bought the house in 1924. They converted the lower storey into an eye clinic which served the population of Jerusalem, rich and poor alike, until Dr. Ticho’s death in 1960. Anna served as his assistant and at the same time began going out into the landscape and drawing the hills, views and figures of Jerusalem. Using different media over the years, these remained the chief subjects of her work.
The Tichos, throughout their long lives, were active in Jerusalem’s social and cultural life. After her husband’s death, Anna continued to live and work in the same house until her own death in 1980. Her work was widely acclaimed and her drawings are found in many museums in Israel and abroad. She received many honorary titles and awards, including the Israel Prize in 1980.
As a token of her love to Jerusalem, Anna Ticho bequeathed the house, all of its collections and its library to the people of the city, to serve as a public center for art.
Ticho House is open:
Sun. Mon. Weds. Thurs. 10:00 – 17:00;
Tues. 10:00 – 22:00;
Fri. 10:00 – 14:00.
The house contains:
- Temporary Exhibitions
- An exhibition of works by Anna Ticho
- Hanukah lamps collected by Dr.Abraham Ticho
- A reference library of books about Jerusalem, art and literature
- Concerts and cultural events
- A garden Cafe/Restaurant
9 Harav kook Street
Jerusalem
Tel. 972-2-6245068, 972-2-6244186
