Isaiah Zagar, founder of Philly’s Magic Gardens, has died

Philly’s Magic Gardens said that the artist died from complications of heart failure and Parkinson’s Disease.

Zagar was born in Philadelphia in 1939 and raised in Brooklyn. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting & Graphics at the Pratt Institute of Art in New York City.

At the age of 19, Zagar became inspired to create his own art environment after discovering the House of Mirrors — a folk art installation in Woodstock, New York — from the artist Clarence Schmidt.

Zagar was also influenced by the works of Pablo Picasso, Jean Dubuffet, Kurt Schwitters, and Antonio Gaudí.

In 1963, Zagar met his wife Julia while they were both studying art in New York. They married three months later. The couple then served in the Peace Corps in Peru for three years in the mid-1960s, working with folk artists.

They then moved to Philadelphia in 1968. It was during this time that Zagar struggled with his mental health and began using his art as therapy. Zagar also opened the Eye’s Gallery on 402 South Street in Philadelphia. The global art hub featured Latin American folk art that Zagar and his wife collected during their travels as well as Zagar’s mosaic artwork that covered the walls and ceilings of the space.

In the 1970s, Zagar helped revitalize South Street by renovating buildings and adding mosaics on private and public walls. His collaboration with other artists and activists in transforming the neighborhood and protesting a proposed highway that would have eliminated South Street became known as the “South Street Renaissance.”

After successfully saving South Street, Zagar and his wife stayed in the community and continued creating hundreds of public artworks over the next 50 years.

In 1986, Zagar bought a building at 1003 Kater Street and beautified it, turning it into a studio space. He then created art projects in vacant lots and buildings near his studio along South Street. His creation eventually became the Magic Gardens Museum which led to the incorporation of the nonprofit organization Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG). PMG then purchased the property in October 2004. The nonprofit is currently responsible for preserving and providing access to Zagar’s artwork throughout Philadelphia.

Zagar’s other work includes “The Skin of the Bride,” a 7,000-square-foot mural on the exterior walls of the Painted Bride Art Center in Old City. The mural took nine years to complete and became Zagar’s largest public mosaic.

In 2023, Zagar and his wife donated a massive 10,000-square-foot studio space on 1002 Watkins Street that’s now known as Magic Gardens Studio to PMG.

Zagar’s work was also included in the permanent collections of several art institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  

“The scale of Isaiah Zagar’s body of work and his relentless art-making at all costs is truly astounding,” shared Emily Smith, Executive Director of PMG. “Most people do not yet understand the importance of what he created, nor do they understand the sheer volume of what he has made. It is distinctive and wholly unique to Philadelphia, and it has forever changed the face of our city. He was so inspired by other art environment sites and their creators, and, in that vein, was obsessed with creating something special, which he worked at every day for decades. He loved Philadelphia and wanted it to be known for its art scene.”