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Wednesday, February 24, 2016
PULSE New York will return from March 3-6, 2016 to the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea at 125 West 18th Street.
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Monday, February 22, 2016
Tina Kim Gallery presents
TOMIE OHTAKE
March 2 – April 2, 2016
Opening Reception
March 2, 6PM – 8PM
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New York, NY (February 22, 2016)—Tina Kim Gallery is pleased to present a solo exhibition of work by Japanese-Brazilian artist Tomie Ohtake, a central figure in the history of Brazilian abstraction. From her first publically exhibited works in the mid-1950s until her death in 2015, Ohtake's dedicated exploration of the formal, temporal, and, arguably, spiritual aspects of color, shape, and gesture has resulted in an extraordinary deep catalogue of work that has too rarely been seen outside of Latin America. On view from March 2 – April 2, 2016, this exhibition is the artist's first in the United States in over 20 years, providing a broad view of the nuanced practice of this master of pictorial space and form.
One of the leading proponents of a painting style that privileged a gestural, informal approach, Ohtake departed from the dominant strain of concrete, geometric abstraction that was strongly associated with international movements of the earlier 20th Century in Brazil and beyond. After moving from her birthplace of Kyoto to Brazil in 1936, she became closely associated with the Seibi group, an informal network of Japanese-Brazilian artists united by an interest in abstraction. Yet she was also connected to wider groups of critics and artists, including Willys de Castro, Mário Pedrosa, Paulo Herkenhoff, and Mira Schendel among others. Her multiple affiliations and connections freed her from alignment with any one particular approach to art making and positioned her on a relatively singular artistic path.
Ohtake’s formal economy is remarkable — everything is exactly as it needed to be, no more or no less. Above all, her work is united by an inquisitive and experimental spirit that ultimately focuses on the experience of the work itself, both for the maker and for the viewer. Her paintings, even the geometrically inflected ones, always retain a fundamental interest in atmosphere and its effects. To retain a clear focus on the experience of the work in and of itself, Ohtake eschews metaphor and specific material references to such a degree that every one of her works is untitled. Her process was always evolving, but consistently deliberate, thoughtful and specific throughout her career.
To trace this evolution, Tina Kim Gallery’s exhibition includes work from an active fifty-year span of Ohtake's career, from 1956-2010. The chronology begins with compositions from the mid-1950s that demonstrate the origins of her sensitivity to color and strong formal composition that exist throughout her years of work. In her pieces from the late 1950s, we see the brushstrokes loosening and forms getting more ethereal. During this same time period, Ohtake began experimenting with "blind paintings" in which she painted blindfolded in order to free her artistic process from the strictures of vision. The resulting works are haunting and expressive, seeming to coalesce in momentary formations before becoming something else. Following this series, her work then returns to more specifically structured and geometrically focused compositions. Indeed, in the late 1960s, she begins to play with printmaking, creating bold and expressly graphic works that skillfully take advantage of the medium, clarifying new formal concerns that will translate into her paintings of the period and broaden her experimentation with color.
In the centralized, delineated forms and surfaces of a selection of paintings from the late 1970s and 1980s, one can trace motifs and spatial relationships that reappear throughout her oeuvre — circles, ovals, arcs, mounds, in tones both earthly and vibrant. The surfaces become increasingly complex, layered and active, and careful viewing reveals layer upon layer of paint that cumulatively builds a remarkable depth of hue. In the most recent paintings on view, Ohtake clarifies her geometric and color concerns even further, tightening compositions and activating surfaces in works that invite contemplation and immersion into the logic of her work.
ABOUT TOMIE OHTAKE
Tomie Ohtake was born in Kyoto, Japan in 1913 and lived in São Paulo, Brazil from 1936 until her death in early 2015. She began working as an artist professionally only in her late 30s, immersing herself in an exploration of abstraction first in paint, and expanding into printmaking and sculpture in later years. Throughout her long and prolific career, she was the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including several at Museu de Arte Moderna de São Paulo since her first in 1957; major exhibitions at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; Barbican Centre, London; The Museum of Modern Art, Rio de Janeiro; and a retrospective at the Instituto Tomie Ohtake in São Paulo upon the occasion of her 100th birthday, among many others. She has participated in numerous international biennial exhibitions, including Venice, Havana, Cuenca and eight iterations of the São Paulo Bienal. Since the 1980s, Ohtake has produced several major public sculptures for cities and towns all across Brazil, including iconic pieces throughout her hometown of São Paulo like the murals adorning the Consolacao stop of the Metro. In 2001, Instituto Tomie Ohtake opened its doors in São Paulo with a program dedicated to illuminating contemporary art since the 1950s and preserving the legacy of Tomie Ohtake.
ABOUT TINA KIM GALLERY
Founded in 2001, Tina Kim Gallery annually participates in more than twelve international fairs and is devoted to showcasing contemporary art. The gallery is affiliated with Kukje in Seoul, South Korea, regularly collaborating on exhibitions that feature both emerging and internationally renowned artists. Tina Kim Gallery also works closely with Vintage 20, a private dealer specializing in mid-century furniture and design.
Tina Kim Gallery is open Tuesday – Saturday 10 AM – 6 PM
Connect with the gallery on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter and visit tinakimgallery.com
Image: Tomie Ohtake, Untitled, 1980. Oil on canvas 39.37 x 39.37 inches (100 x 100 cm). Image courtesy of Everton Ballardin © Galeria Nara Roesler
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First Exhibition Marking 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther’s “Ninety-Five Theses” Presented by Minneapolis Institute of Art
Exhibition Features Newly Excavated Objects Offering New Insights into Luther’s Personal Life and Many Works of Art Never-Before-Seen Outside of Germany
Exhibition Launches International Collaboration with Germany’s Leading Institutions Preserving Luther’s Legacy
MINNEAPOLIS, MN [February 22, 2016] – This fall, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) will mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s “Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” by presenting the first exhibition in the United States to explore the indelible impact of the Protestant Reformation through major works of art. On view from October 30, 2016 through January 15, 2017, “Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” will feature paintings, sculptures, gold, textiles, and works on paper—many of which have never before left Germany—as well as Luther’s personal possessions and recent archeological finds from his homes to shed new light on the critical religious, cultural and societal changes of this tumultuous and transformative period. The exhibition is the first in a series of international initiatives commemorating this important moment, which will be observed around the world on October 31, 2017.
“Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” at Mia is organized in partnership with four German institutions—the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle, Luther Memorials Foundation in Saxony-Anhalt, German Historical Museum in Berlin, and Foundation Schloss Friedenstein in Gotha. The Luther House in Wittenberg, Germany is closed in 2016 for major renewals of its permanent exhibition for the Jubilee Year 2017, which has allowed key works to travel to Mia for this first-of-its-kind exhibition.
“We are thrilled to launch the international commemoration of this watershed moment in history with such an extraordinary exhibition,” said Kaywin Feldman, the Duncan and Nivin MacMillan Director and President of Mia. “Minnesota is home to one of the largest Lutheran populations in the nation, so this story has a special resonance here. We are proud to partner with our peers in Germany, and look forward to engaging our local audiences and visitors from around the world with the art and objects that were at the heart of the Reformation.”
“Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” will place particular emphasis on Luther’s support of art as a tool for worship, teaching, and propaganda. Among the works on view will be paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), who was inspired by Luther’s preaching to develop didactic paintings that vividly depict the viewer’s choice between salvation and damnation. Cranach’s narrative paintings illustrate biblical stories in brilliant colors and ravishing—sometimes gory—detail, and his stylized portraits capture the humanist spirit of the age. Additionally, several vandalized objects by other artists will be presented to underscore the intense emotional reaction in the wake of Luther’s protest.
A major portion of the exhibition devoted to Luther’s personal life will feature recent archaeological finds from his boyhood homes in the towns of Eisleben and Mansfeld, as well as his house in Wittenberg, the base for his history-making activities. Excavations, undertaken in 2004 and 2005, uncovered household goods that reveal new information about Luther and his family. A selection of those objects will be displayed for the first time in the United States and offer new insights into Luther’s daily life, especially his childhood.
“The objects in this exhibition have strong visual and emotional presence. Not only do they tell the fascinating story of the man and his impact on religion and politics, but they also continue to reverberate today,” said Tom Rassieur, Mia’s John E. Andrus III Curator of Prints. “With the incredibly generous support of our German colleagues, we are excited to be able to share spectacular works of art and new discoveries with the public, and to vividly bring Luther’s world to life for contemporary audiences.”
Exhibition Themes and Highlights
“Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” will be organized chronologically and comprise eight primary sections:
- “Boyhood,” in which the archeological findings at Luther’s childhood homes will be displayed;
- “Secular Power,” which features rare paintings, prints, sculpture depicting the rulers and courtly life of the era, as well as opulent status symbols belonging to the most powerful men of the age;
- “Pre-Reformation Piety,” which presents paintings, carvings, goldsmith’s work, and vestments associated with late medieval and early renaissance Catholic practice;
- “Luther as Monk, Scholar, and Preacher” includes the notorious indulgence chest of Wittenburg, a 1517 printed copy of the “Ninety-Five Theses,” and the final pulpit from which Luther preached—newly-restored for the exhibition;
- “Luther’s Theology” features Lucas Cranach’s Law and Grace, the 157-panel Gotha Altar, and some of Luther’s own hand-written notes for his translation of the Bible;
- “Luther’s House as the hub of the Reformation,” featuring the furniture from his studio, his personal possessions, portraits of Luther, his wife Katarina von Bora, and their associates, as well as additional archeological finds from Luther’s home—from jewelry and pen knives to tiles and glass—that embody his daily life and international status;
- “Polemics and Conflicts” underscores the turbulence of the era through vandalized works of art, satirical woodcuts, weaponry and war trophies; and
- “The Legend,” which highlights the establishment of Luther’s posthumous reputation through memorial objects such as the model for his grave marker, the debating stand of the University of Wittenburg, and relics that gave his followers tangible bonds to their spiritual leader.
Additional highlights from the exhibition include:
[if !supportLists]• [endif]Sixteen paintings from Lucas Cranach the Elder’s studio, two-thirds of which are autographed, including Martin Luther (c. 1541), The Death of Holophernes (1531), and Law and Grace (1529), one of the most influential allegories of the Reformation, which underscores Luther’s belief in faith as the path to salvation. Several of these works also showcase a shift from the lifelike compositions of the Renaissance to more stylized figural representations, solidifying Luther’s use of art as a tool for communicating to a broader public.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]Old and New Testament, the so-called Ortenburg Bible (1535), a hand-colored copy of Luther’s complete translation of the Bible into German.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]Luther’s studio furniture and other personal effects, including his ornate folding travel spoon and his beer stein.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]Rarely seen 16th-century editions of the Bible in contemporary German vernacular, as well as a selection of 16th-century publications that demonstrate Luther’s intolerance of corruption and his concern for women.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]The Altar of the Virgin Mary from Naumburg Cathedral, a carved and polychromed altar produced around 1500.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]The Heiltumsbuch of Friedrich the Wise, the first illustrated manuscript ever printed.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]Pope Leo X’s Bull of Excommunication against Luther, in three early editions.
[if !supportLists]• [endif]Recently discovered remains of an alchemist’s laboratory.
Programming and Catalogue
“Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue, as well as a new book of essays, which will serve as a fundamental work resource in Luther studies for the next decade. In the book of essays, forty European and American authors tackle subjects that set the stage for Luther’s activities. They closely examine the various phases of his life, his theology and his translation of the Bible, as well as his intellectual, spiritual, and economic environment; the Reformation as a media revolution; his relationship with Jews and Muslims; reformation art and architecture, Lutheran memorial culture, Lutheranism in America, Martin Luther and Martin Luther King, in addition to other topics. Both volumes will appear in English and German.
Programming related to the exhibition will include a lecture series featuring Professor Harald Meller, Director of the State Museum of Pre-History, Halle, who conceived of the exhibition; Professor Christiane Andersson, Bucknell University, an expert on Reformation art and censorship; and, Tom Rassieur, Mia’s curator collaborating on the exhibition. Mia will engage youth groups through programs on protest art. Additional programming details will be announced in the coming months.
Programming related to the exhibition will include a lecture series featuring Professor Harald Meller, Director of the State Museum of Pre-History, Halle, who conceived of the exhibition; Professor Christiane Andersson, Bucknell University, an expert on Reformation art and censorship; and, Tom Rassieur, Mia’s curator collaborating on the exhibition. Mia will engage youth groups through programs on protest art. Additional programming details will be announced in the coming months.
Support
“Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” has been made possible by the support of the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany within the framework of the Luther Decade and is presented by Thrivent Financial. Lead sponsors for this exhibition are John and Nancy Lindahl, The Hognander Foundation, the K.A.H.R. Foundation, and Thomson Reuters.
About Martin Luther
When Martin Luther (1483-1546) posted his “Ninety-Five Theses on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” on the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, he cracked the foundations of papal authority and set in motion a revolution that would reshape Western civilization. Luther’s story is intimately connected to the collapse of medieval society and the birth of the modern age—by translating the Bible into contemporary German vernacular and disseminating his teachings through the newly invented printing press, he not only eroded Catholic authority, but also epitomized how the right tools, and strategic use of technology, could spur near-immediate and irreversible change.
Luther was born to a mining family in Germany in 1483. At age seven, he enrolled in school and became an avid student of grammar, rhetoric and logic, eventually entering the University of Erfurt to earn a Master of Arts degree in the field. Although he initially intended to practice law, Luther became increasingly interested in theology, philosophy and scripture as a source for assurances about life. In 1507, he was ordained to the priesthood, and later awarded his Doctor of Theology from the University of Wittenberg, at which he spent the remainder of his career as a professor of theology.
It was shortly after entering the monastery that Luther began to doubt that the Church could offer salvation. A visit to Rome in 1511 solidified this view as he witnessed rampant corruption, and was particularly outraged by the issue of “indulgences,” or certificates that could be purchased to gain forgiveness of sins and freedom from purgatory. On October 31, 1517, Luther decided to publish his opinions on the matter of indulgences—and the conclusion that faith, not the Church, would guarantee salvation—by posting the “Ninety-Five Theses” to the door of the Castle Church. These were then taken to the university printing press and produced in Latin and German, and within four weeks had spread far beyond Germany—ultimately giving rise to what would become the Protestant tradition.
Luther was born to a mining family in Germany in 1483. At age seven, he enrolled in school and became an avid student of grammar, rhetoric and logic, eventually entering the University of Erfurt to earn a Master of Arts degree in the field. Although he initially intended to practice law, Luther became increasingly interested in theology, philosophy and scripture as a source for assurances about life. In 1507, he was ordained to the priesthood, and later awarded his Doctor of Theology from the University of Wittenberg, at which he spent the remainder of his career as a professor of theology.
It was shortly after entering the monastery that Luther began to doubt that the Church could offer salvation. A visit to Rome in 1511 solidified this view as he witnessed rampant corruption, and was particularly outraged by the issue of “indulgences,” or certificates that could be purchased to gain forgiveness of sins and freedom from purgatory. On October 31, 1517, Luther decided to publish his opinions on the matter of indulgences—and the conclusion that faith, not the Church, would guarantee salvation—by posting the “Ninety-Five Theses” to the door of the Castle Church. These were then taken to the university printing press and produced in Latin and German, and within four weeks had spread far beyond Germany—ultimately giving rise to what would become the Protestant tradition.
About The Minneapolis Institute of Art
Home to more than 89,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history, the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) inspires wonder, spurs creativity, and nourishes the imagination. With extraordinary exhibitions and one of the finest wide-ranging art collections in the country—Rembrandt to van Gogh, Monet to Matisse, Asian to African—Mia links the past to the present, enables global conversations, and offers an exceptional setting for inspiration.
General admission to Mia is always free. Some special exhibitions have a nominal admission fee. General admission for “Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” is $20.
Museum Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday 10am–5pm
Thursday, Friday 10am–9pm
Sunday 11am–5pm
Monday Closed
For more information, call + 1 612 870 3000 or visit artsmia.org
General admission to Mia is always free. Some special exhibitions have a nominal admission fee. General admission for “Martin Luther: Art of the Reformation” is $20.
Museum Hours
Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday 10am–5pm
Thursday, Friday 10am–9pm
Sunday 11am–5pm
Monday Closed
For more information, call + 1 612 870 3000 or visit artsmia.org
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Thursday, February 18, 2016
When Process Becomes Form: Dansaekhwa and Korean Abstraction February 20 –April 24, 2016
Kukje Gallery / Tina Kim Gallery and The Boghossian Foundation – Villa Empain present
When Process Becomes Form: Dansaekhwa and Korean Abstraction
Featuring artists Chung Chang-Sup, Chung Sang-Hwa, Ha Chong-Hyun, Kim Whanki, Kwon Young-Woo, Lee Ufan, Park Seo-Bo
Curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
Fondation Boghossian — Villa Empain
February 20 –April 24, 2016
Opening Reception: Friday February 19, 6:30-8:30PM
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When Process Becomes Form: Dansaekhwa and Korean Abstraction is the first comprehensive exhibition in Belgium of a generation of loosely affiliated Korean artists whose negotiation of abstraction has become known as Dansaekhwa. The exhibition presents Dansaekhwa's leading figures: Chung Chang-Sup (1927 - 2011), Chung Sang-Hwa (b.1932), Ha Chong-Hyun (b. 1935), Kim Whanki (1913 - 1974), Kwon Young-Woo (1926 - 2013), Lee Ufan (b. 1936), and Park Seo-Bo (b. 1931). It brings together more than fifty seminal paintings from both museum and private collections, ranging from the 1960s until the 1980s. In addition, the exhibition includes an extensive corpus of archival materials and documents.
Working at the crossroads of diverse stylistic influences and within a politically and socially charged context, the seven artists featured in this exhibition employ abstraction as a means of synthesis and innovation. In doing so, they have succeeded in articulating a distinct visual language that champions form and material over the outright political. Their use of pattern and repetition stems from an emphasis on their process-driven approach that places the "act of making" at the very heart of their artistic practice. Transcending the specificities of political and social conflicts, the masterpieces that are on display present the viewer with a timeless and truly universal visual language. It is in its distinct aesthetic, which is able to transcend all cultural barriers and speak to the visual sensibilities and inclinations in all of us, that the power of Dansaekhwa ultimately resides.
For the generation of artists connected to Dansaekhwa, being modern was never a matter of identification with a Western model of artistic production. Neither was it a faith in a universality that levels the particularities of distinctly different conceptual and formal approaches to art making. For most of the artists presented here, working and living in Korea through the 1960s and until the 1980s, modernity had a specific meaning, one that was associated with an independence from modernization and a criticism of globalization. These are larger critical questions. How can art history be global? How can the rigid notions of center vs. periphery be reconfigured? How can the contributions of non-canonical artists be acknowledged beyond the reductive paradigms of normative comparisons? These are among the questions that have increasingly punctuated the discourse surrounding the critical reflection on the notion of multiple modernities. This is where Dansaekhwa becomes poignantly relevant. When examined within its local context as well as against the theoretical and formal concerns and advancements that were simultaneously at play elsewhere, Dansaekhwa emerges as a significant example of how modernism can operate along several axes at once, both geographically and conceptually.
A multilingual (French, Flemish and English) 150-page, fully illustrated catalogue will be published in conjunction with the exhibition. The publication features an extensive curatorial essay on the history of Dansaekhwa, full artist biographies and a comprehensive timeline of the movement's evolution within the context of Korea's broader modern history.
Curated by Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath
With the support of Kukje Gallery and Tina Kim Gallery
Fondation Boghossian – Villa Empain
Franklin Roosevelt avenue, 67 – 1050 Brussels
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 11 AM to 6 PM
About The Boghossian Foundation
The Boghossian Foundation was created in 1992 by Robert Boghossian and his two sons Jean and Albert, Lebanese jewelers of Armenian origin, based in Antwerp and Geneva. The foundation’s main objective is to contribute to development and education for youth, as well as encourage a dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures. In 2006 the foundation acquired the Villa Empain in Brussels and opened the space to the public in 2010 to host exhibitions, conferences, international meetings and other activities all year round. The Boghossian Foundation also finances social, educational, artistic and environmental projects.
About Kukje Gallery / Tina Kim Gallery
Founded in the center of Seoul in 1982 by Hyun-Sook Lee, Kukje Gallery is widely celebrated as a leader in shaping Korea’s cultural landscape. Known for its diverse and ambitious programming, the gallery has introduced modern and contemporary masters to Korean audiences while also supporting the careers of some of the most significant Korean artists both within the region and abroad. Founded in New York in 2001 by Mrs. Lee’s daughter, Tina Kim Gallery is celebrated for its eclectic programming focused on international contemporary art and emerging artists. Kukje and Tina Kim Gallery regularly collaborate on organizing exhibitions and participate with joint presentations at several premier international art fairs each year.
The galleries have played a seminal role in promoting Dansaekwha to an international audience over the past decade. Recent critical exhibitions include the galleries’ presentation of artists from the movement at Frieze Masters, London in 2014 and The Art of Dansaekhwa in Seoul curated by Yoon Jin Sup – presented as a comprehensive history of the major Dansaekhwa artists and their work over the past half century. In response to the tremendous international interest in Dansaekhwa, Kukje and Tina Kim also organized an unprecedented exhibition of Dansaekhwa artists as part of the Collateral Events at the Venice Biennial in 2015, providing much-needed context to appreciate the historical significance of the movement, both internationally and in Korea.
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Wednesday, February 17, 2016
NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO TRACE THE RISE OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN GERMANY THROUGH THE PAINFUL POWER OF NAZI PROPAGANDA IMAGES
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NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO TRACE THE RISE OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN GERMANY THROUGH THE PAINFUL POWER OF NAZI PROPAGANDA IMAGES
Anti-Semitism 1919–1939
On View April 12 – July 31, 2016
New York, NY, February 17, 2016 – At a time of continuing anti-Semitic propaganda and attacks against Jewish communities in Europe and elsewhere, the New-York Historical Society will present a powerful exhibition that examines the rise of a culture of hatred. On view April 12 through July 31, Anti-Semitism 1919–1939 will trace the gradual and deliberate indoctrination of German citizens into active hatred of Jews through the ubiquitous words and images seen daily.
The exhibition will feature more than 50 objects dating from the Interwar years, drawn from the collection of The Museum of World War II in Boston, Massachusetts. Included will be examples of anti-Semitic books and signs, announcements of mass meetings that excluded Jews, the original outline of a 1939 speech by Adolf Hitler to the Reichstag about the “Jewish Question,” and a printing of the Nuremberg Laws denying Jews the basic rights of citizens that laid the legal foundation for the Holocaust. Many objects on display will be disturbing to view, but they serve to convey the dangers of ignoring or discounting anti-Semitic discourse and underestimating the impact of hateful propaganda and religious intolerance more generally—a lesson of particular importance for the 200,000 New York City public school students who learn history with New-York Historical each year. The exhibition will also help explain the connection between anti-Semitism in Europe and the history of New York City and America, as those who fled Nazism deeply impacted American cultural, educational, and scientific institutions. “Anti-Semitism is among the most harrowing topics of 20th-century history,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO, New-York Historical Society. “While it is painful to see artifacts from a culture of hatred, understanding how such a horrifying moment in history developed is fundamental to helping us better grasp current events. The moral questions raised by the rise of Nazism in Germany transcend geographical and temporal boundaries, and it is the responsibility of institutions like ours to educate and inspire contemporary audiences to reflect on the roles and responsibilities of individuals, organizations, and nations when confronted with injustice. In addition, anti-Semitism is essential to the history of our city, as New York was so drastically changed by the influx of Europeans escaping Nazism. ” Historical Background of the Exhibition Long before Adolf Hitler rose to power, anti-Semitism plagued Europe. In Germany, the punitive 1919 peace agreement ending World War I exacerbated existing prejudices. Some people began to blame the Bolsheviks and “the Jews” for Germany’s forced demilitarization, its exorbitant reparations payments to the victorious Allied Powers, and the collapse of its economy. As the Nazi Party rose to power, it began a long campaign of indoctrinating German citizens with violent messages of hate through the widespread dissemination of anti-Semitic propaganda. After consolidating its rule, it passed the Nuremberg Laws, systematically codifying anti-Semitism. Among these measures was the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor, forbidding marriages and extramarital relations between Jews and non-Jews. In a 1938–39 questionnaire on view in the exhibition, Helga Fräenkel sought permission to marry the father of her children. The request was denied because she was Jewish. The Nazi leadership passed increasingly harsh anti-Semitic laws that restricted the movement and lives of Jews. As shown through signs on view in the exhibition, Jews were forbidden to use the same park benches as their fellow German citizens who had been defined as “Aryans” and eventually were forbidden altogether from entering parks. These actions normalized the steadily mounting physical violence against Jews and destruction of their property, leading to their forced relocation to concentration and death camps, and ultimately to Hitler’s “Final Solution” to the “Jewish Problem”—the murder of six million European Jews. Under the Nazi Regime, anti-Semitism penetrated every aspect of life, and even children’s books were not immune from its reach. Never Trust a Fox on the Green Heath and Never Trust a Jew by His Oath (1936) was an anti-Semitic children’s book printed by Julius Streicher’s publishing house. The author, Elvira Bauer, was 21 when she wrote this book. In The Jew as Destroyer of the Race (1934), one of the most virulent anti-Semitic books printed, “Aryan” women were warned about the dangers of associating with Jews. Both of these books will be on view in the exhibition. Exhibition Publication & Public Programming The exhibition will be accompanied by a companion book with a foreword by Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO, New-York Historical Society. To help visitors understand the exhibition and share their feelings about the content of the show, New-York Historical has developed educational and public programs to accompany the exhibition. Visiting middle and high school students will split their time in the gallery, where they will trace the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, and the classroom, where they will use items from the Library collection to follow the parallel rise of anti-Semitism in the U.S. and its ramifications. New-York Historical is also partnering with Facing History and Ourselves, an international educational and professional development organization, on a full-day workshop for teachers on April 19.
On Thursday, May 26, Abraham Foxman, world-renowned as a leader in the fight against anti-Semitism, bigotry, and discrimination, will speak at New-York Historical about the lessons he’s learned from 50 years of fighting anti-Semitism and hate speech. As part of New-York Historical’s “Justice in Film” series, Forbidden Games (1952), a French film that follows a young girl orphaned by Nazi airstrikes, and Europa Europa (1990), a German film about a Jewish boy posing as a German orphan in WWII Europe, will be shown this spring.
Anti-Semitism 1919–1939 is made possible by support provided by the Blavatnik Family Foundation, the Charina Endowment Fund, the Barbara K. and Ira A. Lipman Family, Ed and Sandy Meyer, Ann and Andrew Tisch, Pam and Scott Schafler, the David Berg Foundation, Martin J. Gross, Ruth and Sid Lapidus, Martin Lewis and Diane Brandt, Cheryl and Glen Lewy, and Tamar J. Weiss.
About the New-York Historical Society
The New-York Historical Society, one of America’s preeminent cultural institutions, is dedicated to fostering research and presenting history and art exhibitions and public programs that reveal the dynamism of history and its influence on the world of today. Founded in 1804, New-York Historical has a mission to explore the richly layered history of New York City and State and the country, and to serve as a national forum for the discussion of issues surrounding the making and meaning of history.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Volta NY March 2-6th
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Pinacotheque De Paris closes due to economic climate.
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Monday, February 15, 2016
Emmanuel Fremin Gallery: Super Me, Ole Marius Joergensen andGiuseppe Mastromatteo. Thursday, February 25, from 6 - 8pm.
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Thursday, February 11, 2016
Leila Heller Gallery, Shoja Azari and Shahram Karimi Feb 18 March 26 2016
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Consequence IV, 2016, Water color on paper with video projection installed in black boxes, 13 x 24 incaption |
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Opening Reception:
Thursday, February 18, 6 - 8 pm
568 West 25th Street, New York
‘The cold earth slept below/ Above the cold sky shone;
And all around/ The breath of night like death did flow’ Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
Leila Heller Gallery is pleased to present a collaborative exhibition between filmmaker Shoja Azari and painter Shahram Karimi, on view from February 18th to March 26th, 2016. The Cold Earth Sleeps Below features eleven of the artists’ unique, hallmark video-paintings, portraying and exploring humanity’s relation to the natural landscape. The exhibition takes its title from the work of English poet Percy Shelley; the artists seek to revisit, in their own words, the contemporary relevance of “the paradoxical notion of beauty and the sublime that the Romantics fought to free from the clutch of utilitarian materialism, egoism, and the rational mind of the 18th century”.
Beauty betrays; yet its seduction remains as compelling as its deception. In the hypnotic, shimmering collaborations between Shoja Azari and Shahram Karimi, a deep suspicion of the beautiful reveals disaster below the surface of the idyllic: a terrible sublime. For each composition, the painted canvas, layered with elements of relief texture and written text, mirrors the video image; according to the artists, their cooperative “artistic intervention attempts at thwarting or enhancing the perception of the neglected.”
Taking as its point of departure the idiom of landscape as a medium as much as a genre in visual culture—a social hieroglyph mediating larger social values and literalizing the naturalization of societal conventions—The Cold Earth Sleeps Below dismantles the scaffolding of the beautiful. For the six large-scale tableaux in the installation in the main gallery—each animated by the palimpsest of a video projection—the artists have culled found images from the popular imagination of serene, natural landscapes: an aerial vision a cherry orchard, a soothing view though dark grove of trees, a scene of a field of flowers delicately rustling in the breeze. Dreamscape I-VI, compelling their formal, synthetic beauty, evince the anthropological gaze of the natural as harmonious, sedate, governable: gestalt tableaux which suppress as much as they espouse.
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