Scenes from the Collection

Ongoing

The Jewish Museum's rotating collection exhibition features nearly 450 works from antiquities to contemporary art—many of which are on view for the first time.

Mel Bochner, The Joys of Yiddish, 2012, oil and acrylic on two canvases. The Jewish Museum, New York, purchase: gifts of The Muriel and William Rand Collection, by exchange and Hyman and Joan C. Sall, 2012-22a-b.

The Jewish Museum collection is a unique mix of artworks and ceremonial objects. In Scenes from the Collection, selected works are presented in thematic “scenes,” weaving together centuries of art and Judaica. Each gallery suggests a different filter through which we may approach and understand art.

Works in the collection are presented as distinctive creative expressions and as bearers of the stories of those who made, owned, used, preserved, and sometimes transformed them. The exhibition speaks of the vast range of Jewish experiences across the globe and over time, made tangible through artistic expression. It is both a mirror of Jewish identities and an inspiration for the formation of new ones.

In calling attention to the multiple facets of art and Jewish culture, the exhibition invites fresh responses from visitors and may resonate with people of many faiths and backgrounds. Themes change periodically, offering new dialogues among the works and proposing new interpretations of them.

Virtual Guided Group Tours available. Learn more

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Exhibition design by Calvin Tsao | Tsao & McKown; design and installation consultant, Daniel Kershaw; graphic design by Topos Graphics; lighting design by Clinard Design Studio; and exhibition fabrication by South Side Design & Building.

Scenes from the Collection is made possible with leadership support from Amy and Jeffrey Silverman and the Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation, and through gifts from Audrey and Zygi Wilf, Jane and Mark Wilf, Debra Fine and Martin Schneider, Tracey and Robert Pruzan, Monica and Andrew Weinberg, gifts in honor of Regina Gruss, Jonathan and Darcie Crystal, Neubauer Family Foundation, Dr. William Pordy, Rhoda, Nolan and Harriet Rothkopf, the Knapp Family Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, Betty and John Levin, the Malinsky Family Charitable Trust and the Ira Waldbaum Family Foundation, Sara and Axel Schupf, the Stern Family Philanthropic Foundation, UOVO, the Gottesman Fund, and other generous donors.

Video

Audio

The audio guide is made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

 

Download the audio guide transcript.

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