Negev Museum of Art

Location: 60 Ha'atsmaut St., Beersheba.

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Opening hours: Saturday, Friday 10:00-2 14:00; Sunday – closed; Monday, Tuesday, Thursday 10:00-16:00.

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In the Negev Museum of Art you can learn the history of how the governor's house became a museum of art. Inside the museum, you can visit a variety of exhibitions of innovative art.

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The governor's house, which serves as the home of the Negev Museum of Art, has two stories and dates back to the Ottoman period. In front, it is decorated with a porch with three pointed arches. The interior is typical of a building called "Konak": the home of the governor or another important person, where formal meetings and receptions were held.

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During the First World War, the building served as the residence of a British officer. In 1938 the building was converted into a Bedouin girls' school. During that period, an internal staircase was added to the structure, along with the rest rooms on the lower floor and two rooms on the upper floor. After the conquest of the city in the War of Independence, the building was used by the IDF, and when the city of Beersheba was founded in 1950, the building served as the first town hall.

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In the early 1970s, the municipal offices were transferred and the governor's house served other municipal purposes. In the 1980s, it became the Art Wing of the Negev Museum of Archeology located in the mosque. In 1987, the Negev Museum was declared a museum in accordance with the museum law. In 1998, the building was declared a building in danger of collapse and was closed to the public.