Felix Tikotin

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Felix Tikotin (1893-1986) was an architect, art collector, and art museum founder.

Born in Germany, his family had returned with Napoleon from Russia from a town called Tikocyn. Tikotin grew up in Dresden and became involved with the group of painters called "Die Bruecke". Tikotin began collecting art in High School, he wanted to study painting, but became an architect.

In World War I he was an officer in the German army, fighting first on the Western front in Belgium and later in the East. After the war he decided to travel to Japan on the Trans-Siberia Express. He fell in love with Japanese culture and in April of 1927 he opened his own gallery in Berlin.

During World War II Felix Tikotin settled in the Netherlands. His two daughters were born in The Hague where he had a gallery in his house. After the invasion of the Nazis, the family moved away from the coast and then, when things became worse for the Jews, the Dutch Resistance helped to find them hiding places. The entire family survived, and the collection was hidden by honest neighbors, but was stolen during the war years.

Tikotin slowly resumed his activities as a dealer in Japanese art. He became, once again, very successful and prominent. He held exhibitions all over Europe and the United States.

He introduced Japanese "specialities" to the West such as Ikebana, Origami etc.

When Tikotin first visited Israel in 1956, he decided that the major part of his collection really belonged in that country. He helped to build the first exhibition hall and buy the Kisch House in Haifa, and in 1960 the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art was opened.