Dov Karmi


Dov Karmi was a renowned Israeli architect of the pre-statehood era.

Biography

Dov Karmi was born in 1905, the son of Hannah and Sholom Weingarten, in Zhvanets, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire. In 1921 the Weingartens emigrated with their children to the British Mandate of Palestine,.
He initially studied art at the Bezalel School of Art and Craft, Jerusalem, but was attracted to architecture and went to Belgium to complete his studies in this field at Ghent University.
Karmi worked in partnership with several other architects, including Zeev Rechter and, later in life, with his son Ram Karmi. During his professional career he designed more than two hundred buildings, mostly in Tel Aviv. Karmi's main style was modernist; he influenced a generation of Israeli architects.

Israel Prize

In 1957, Karmi was awarded the Israel Prize, for architecture, the first recipient of the Prize in this field.

Family

Karmi married Haia Maklev; the couple had two children, both of whom became notable architects. In 2002, Karmi's son, Ram Karmi, was awarded the Israel Prize for architecture and Carmi's daughter, Ada Karmi-Melamede, was awarded the Israel Prize for architecture, in 2007.

Major buildings