The Asiatic Company Building 2003 is a complex of paintings and photos made cohesive through thematic structure. It embodies 6 groups of works, 4 paintings and 5 photos in each.

It was produced in two stages: The building paintings and the portraits Tamar Getter made for the occasion of a group in-situ art project in the Weizmann Square, Holon. The show, in April this year, was organized by the artist-photographer Noa Zait, and Mrs. Galit Eilat from the Center of Digital Art, and the municipality of that city.

During the show, Getter photographed her paintings in their different locations at Weizmann Square: Bank Massad (Foundation Bank), supermarket, sewing workshop, coiffure salon, and the “Tourolam, Ista” touring company office. From these photos she composed six series dealing with various unifying aspects of the building paintings in their irregular exhibit spaces, with the people of Weizmann Square, and the square itself, its residence houses and shops.
The series are: 1. Classical Constructions 2. Facilities, 3. Fusion 4. The Palm Tree, 5.Transplantation, 6.“Yanak Massad”
The additional, and larger group of photos enclosing the Ein Harod installation, shows 6 variations of Tamar Getter herself walking up (or running) a staircase. Except one, all photos were taken in South Tel-Aviv.
“The Asiatic Company” is the name of an oceanic trade business in Copenhagen. It is also the name of two oil paintings done in 1902 by the Danish painter Vilhelm HammershØi who painted that harbor commerce building twice; with its passage open, a vessel seen behind, and a second time with its passage shut.

Getter worked her own images from book reproductions of HammershØi. She produced 12 oil-tempera versions starting with the original size of the HammershØi paintings, enlarging them gradually in scale. She used squeegees, sponges and scrapers to drag the color along her wood panels, reducing painting to marking and stamping the allover shape of the building.
The portraits, made by the same technique, portray workers and pedestrians from the Weizman Square in Holon. Most figures are of immigrants from the former U.S.S.R. Getter photographed the people in the square, and then painted them from the photos.

HammershØi did his paintings in 1902 using oil color on canvas. The size of the original works, (and the smallest pair of Getters’ works too) is:
1. The Asiatic Company building with its passage shut: 146.5 x 140.5 cm.
2. The Asiatic Company building with its passage open: 158 X 166 cm.

Artist-photographer Noa Zait did the staircase photos for Tamar Getter. The prints did the photographer Ram Bracha. The square photos, further treated by computer work, are all by Tamar Getter. Digital printing was made at “Kobbi Ran 89” place.