Envisioning the Sacred: Modern Art from the Collection

This exhibition features forty-nine prints, paintings, and drawings from the Museum's permanent collection by twentieth and twenty-first-century artists working in a range of modernist styles—from figurative to abstract. These twenty-one artists explore stories and characters from the Bible, represent Jewish observances and traditions, or take inspiration from language and legend. Many of the artists express their Jewish identities and relationships to Jewish communal experience through their work. For some, mysticism and quests for spiritual connection are essential features of their art. Abel Pann (1883–1963), influenced by Art Nouveau and Symbolism, drew inspiration from Creation myths. Other artists exploring biblical themes include Ben-Zion (1897–1987), Marc Chagall (1887–1985), Percival Goodman (1904–1989), and Abraham Rattner (1895–1978). Nostalgia for Jewish customs and religious observances motivated Adam Muszka (1914–2005) and Anatoli Kaplan (1902–1980) in their portrayals of life in traditional communities. The Sabbath and Jewish holidays are present in the works of Louise August (1931–ca. 2017), Linda Plotkin (b. 1938), and Mark Podwal (1945–2024). Abstract works by Peter Freudenthal (b. 1938), Robert Kirschbaum (b. 1949), and Susan Schwalb (b. 1944) evoke Jewish mysticism, including references to Kabbalah and Jewish legends. Four other artists, A. Raymond Katz (1895–1974), Jane Logemann (b. 1942), Chava Wolpert Richard (1933–2015), and Rina Rotholz (1928–2020), use Hebrew letters that draw attention to both the abstract and spiritual qualities of language. The expressive and colorful synagogue interiors in works by Mordechai Avniel (1900–1989), Zygmunt Menkes (1896–1985), and Jacques Yankel (1920–2020) capture the spiritual presence embodied in these spaces, while Joyce Ellen Weinstein (b. 1940) depicts the solid facade of the Choral Synagogue in St. Petersburg, alluding to the precarious position of Russian Jews. Each of these artists finds a modern visual language with which to deeply and authentically explore Jewish themes that resonate with personal meaning and larger cultural significance.