The consuming interest of the Israeli people for art, and their appreciation for diverse cultural expression, motivated the world famous American showman and philanthropist, Billy Rose, to donate his collection of modern sculpture to the Israel Museum.

The eminent landscape architect-sculptor, Isamu Noguchi, was commissioned to design a fitting outdoor repository for the collection. The regard for the sanctity of Jerusalem, the earth and the sky above was fundamental. He saw the whole hill, and the adjacent area, as a sort of new Acropolis manifesting the spirit of the times. Noguchi *wished to raise a song of praise to the place. The earth itself would be the means".

The completed garden was photographed by the noted Swiss photographer, Leonardo Bezzola. These photographs reflect what is considered today to be one of the most outstanding art gardens in the world.