Zahava Lupo

Born in Israel in 1948 Zahava Lupo is a painter and a musician. In 1971-72 Lupu studied in the Academy of Music at Tel Aviv University and then at the Avni Institute in Tel Aviv from 1979-82. In 1998 Lupu represented Israel at the 75th Anniversary of New Turkey as founded by Kemal Ataturk.

Lupu lives and works in Herzlia. Her work can be found in museums and private collections across the globe, including the Saatchi Gallery, London.

Lupo uses in her work simple forms but always with ideological basis. Sometimes her inspirations are drawn out of current affairs her paintings are always in oil, with additional materials taken from the work environment available: newspapers, paper, rice paper, gold leaf, silver, copper and fashion fabrics are all integrated into the work.

Abstract. 1999. Oil on Paper mounted on Board

Historical Context

Munich 1972

The Munich massacre was a terror attack during the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. The attack was orchestrated by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. The terrorists took eleven Israeli Olympic team members hostage, tortured them and eventually killed them along with a West German police officer after a protracted situation. Initial news reports at the end of the on-going situation indicated that all the hostages were alive, and that all the attackers had been killed. Only later did a representative for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suggested that "initial reports were overly optimistic."

Jim McKay, who was covering the Olympics that year for the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), had taken on the job of reporting the events as Roone Arledge fed them into his earpiece. Famously at at 3:24 am, McKay received the official confirmation, which shocked both him and the world:

“We just got the final word ... you know, when I was a kid, my father used to say "Our greatest hopes and our worst fears are seldom realised." Our worst fears have been realised tonight. They've now said that there were eleven hostages. Two were killed in their rooms yesterday morning, nine were killed at the airport tonight. They're all gone”

In a battle with West German forces five terrorists were killed and later their bodies returned to Libya where they received heroes' funerals and were buried with full military honours. The three surviving Black September gunmen had been arrested after the Fürstenfeldbruck gunfight, and were being held in a Munich prison for trial. On 29 October, Lufthansa Flight 615 was hijacked and threatened to be blown up if the Munich attackers were not released. Immediately released by West Germany, receiving a tumultuous welcome when they touched down in Libya.

It took 44 years for the International Olympic Committee to agree to a commemorative service for the innocents athletes and during the continuing Olympics in 1972 11 Arab nations refused to have their flags lowered in a mark of respect with other nations horrified at the events.