Common Ground

With two simultaneous exhibits, works by Andy Warhol and Marc Chagall, the Sherwin Miller Museum, located at 2021 E. 71st St., delivers a blockbuster. Warhol's significance lying in the fact that he is one of the most celebrated artists in the American pop art movement and Chagall is one of the preeminent artists of all time.

At first glance, the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art is a striking structure with jutting angles of concrete, metal and glass. The contemporary façade of the building suggests that the interior cannot possibly house artifacts that date back to Biblical times. However, once inside, the juxtaposition in period and context from exterior to interior is quickly apparent. At each turn, there are artfully showcased works pertaining not only to Judaism but religion in general -- each item purposely chosen for display is a testament and a tribute to what it means to be human, not only thousands of years ago but throughout the ages.

As the Museum Executive Director Arthur Feldman eloquently explains, "The purpose the museum is to preserve and share the legacy of Jewish art, history and culture. Through exhibitions and education, we hope the museum will help people better understand and identify the Jewish experience. We hope to demystify what Judaism is all about. That said, we all have different paths but are headed in the same general direction. Through art and artifacts, we are able to show the bonds of commonality."

Marc Chagall: Drawings for the Bible

It was the human experience of Hasidic Jew Marc Chagall that led to the 66 piece collection of Drawings for the Bible. Thirty of the pieces will be on display at Sherwin Miller Museum beginning Oct. 23 through January 2012.

To seek inspiration for this series of commissioned drawings, Chagall traveled to Palenstine to experience the people, landscape and historically sacred places. What transpired after his travel-induced inspiration were his Drawings for the Bible, a timeless collection of etchings based on his impressions from the trip.

The series depicts ancient Biblical scenes in a style that is very much modern and experimental for the time. And even today, 70 years later, the paintings still look current and relevant.

Besides the Biblical theme, the common thread in the 30 works on display is reminiscent of the whimsy, distinctive use of color and curvilinear style of his twentieth century contemporaries such as Picasso and Matisse.

"Chagall: A Biography" by Jackie Wullschlager attributes Picasso as praising Chagall's use of color. "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is." This evidence of understanding is apparent in each and every piece.

Like every piece of art in the Sherwin Miller Museum, the message that is conveyed is universal. As Chagall stated regarding his Biblical work, "To my mind, they express a dream that belongs to not a single tribe, but to all mankind."

Andy Warhol: Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century

Peek-a-Boo.

Warhol's Jewish Geniuses first debuted in 1980 at The Jewish Museum in New York. The exhibit was met with both acclaim and criticism. Many called it "commercial". In hindsight, we all realize that commercial was in fact, Warhol's intent.

"By openly embracing commercialism and trappings of fame and by employing photography and silk screening, he challenged modernist concepts of originality and self expression," Feldman said.

Three decades later as we're finally in on the joke, we find ourselves able to view Warhol's work and appreciate him all the more because of his portrayal of mass production and commercialism. Joking aside, Warhol broke artistic paradigms of what we imagined art should be, let alone what it could be. As a result, Warhol himself has become as iconic and famous as those faces and objects that he has memorialized.

Ten Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century depicts 10 Iconic Jews who Warhol thoughtfully selected for his quintessential pop art style. Each figure represents great achievement in the arts, sciences, philosophy, law and politics. Included in this particular series of Warhol's Jewish Geniuses are portraits of Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, the Marx Brothers and many others.

The Andy Warhol exhibit will be on display beginning Oct. 23 through Dec. 19.

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