Contemporary and 20th Century Art at The Jewish Museum in New York

Contemporary and 20th Century Art at The Jewish Museum in New York

The Jewish Museum
Fifth Avenue at 92nd Street, New York, NY
212.423.3200

www.thejewishmuseum.org

Lyn Godley, Hanukkah Lamp, 2004. Light boxes and assorted light sources. Jewish Museum Centennial Commission. (c) The Jewish Museum. Photo by Richard Goodbody, Inc.   

CONTEMPORARY and 20th CENTURY ART AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM IN NEW YORK

COLLECTIVE PERSPECTIVES:
NEW ACQUISITIONS CELEBRATE THE CENTENNIAL
Through March 6, 2005

Works of fine art and Judaica recently acquired in honor of The Jewish Museum’s 100th anniversary are on view through March 6, 2005. The exhibition includes nearly 60 works in a wide range of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, metalwork, and ceramics. The Jewish Museum’s collection illuminates its mission as an institution presenting art and Jewish culture for people of all backgrounds. Its speaks to the cultural richness and remarkable transformations of the Jewish experience through works of art.

Poised at the intersection of art, history and culture, the fine arts collection of the Museum explores the Jewish experience through the contributions of both Jewish and non-Jewish artists. Among the fine arts highlights in this exhibition are major works by Christian Boltanski, Marc Chagall, Rineke Dijkstra, Adolph Gottlieb, Anselm Kiefer, Guillermo Kuitca, Elie Nadelman, Louise Nevelson, Chana Orloff, Jules Pascin, Man Ray, Ben Shahn, and Wim Wenders. The Jewish Museum’s Judaica holdings reflect the diverse fabric of Jewish culture over time with its dynamic negotiation of internal and external influences. Here the decorative arts represent Jewish communities throughout the world, from the ancient to the contemporary. A highlight is Lyn Godley’s monumental (5 x 11 foot) Hanukkah lamp (2004) using electric light an digital imagery. In addition to Lyn Godley, in honor of the centennial year, artists and designers such as Chunghi Choo and Karim Rashid have been specially commissioned to create contemporary ceremonial art for the Museum’s collection that expresses the dynamic and complex nature of religious identity today. Acquired works that blur the distinctions between fine and decorative arts include Linen (2001), a Sabbath table cover (designed to be placed over a set table) of white linen, sewn and starched, by Studio Armadillo (Hadas Kruk, Anat Stein, and Sharon Samish-Dagan) – which explores the nature of sanctity – as well as Lynn Avadenka’s memorials to 9/11.

RE/COLLECTING: A CENTENNIAL INSTALLATION
BY SHIMON ATTIE WITH NORMAN BALLARD
Through January 16, 2005

Projections of art objects hovering in free space, and evocative texts that materialize as if written by an unseen hand, greet visitors to a dramatic, enclosed environment created in The Jewish Museum by artist Shimon Attie in collaboration with Norman Ballard, as a new artwork commissioned for the Museum’s centennial. The sound design by Bill Toles. Presented in two “chapters,” the artwork evocatively juxtaposes images from the Museum’s collection and fragments of texts. Re/collecting: A Centennial Installation by Shimon Attie with Norman Ballard, in which three-dimensional projections and laser writing magically call up objects and snatches of language from The Jewish Museum’s past, is in the contemporary gallery of the permanent exhibition. The words and images have been selected to suggest the conversations about art, culture, identity and history that have been at the heart of The Jewish Museum over the last century. The second chapter, featuring works from the Museum’s collection related to Hanukkah, remains on view through January 16, 2005.