Judah L. Magnes Museum
Encyclopedia
The Judah L. Magnes Museum is a museum
of Jewish history, art, and culture in Berkeley, California
. It was founded in 1962 by Seymour
and Rebecca Fromer and named for Jewish activist Rabbi Judah L. Magnes, a native of Oakland
. Magnes co-founded the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
.
. The WJHC documents the history of the Jewish community in the thirteen western United States, with a special focus on the San Francisco Bay Area
and has a large collection of original records, papers, correspondence, and photographs that document the history of the Museum. The Center also contains copies of all of the Museum's publications and a detailed archive of its exhibition history.
) down the road from the Claremont Resort and Spa
in Berkeley. The Magnes is the third-largest Jewish museum in the United States and became affiliated with the University of California at Berkeley in late 2009.
in New York.
Known for promoting the avant-garde since its inception in the early sixties, the Magnes also launched the REVISIONS series of installations, including such artists as Ann Chamberlain, Naomie Kremer, Larry Abramson
, Jonathon Keats
, Amy Berk, and Shahrokh Yadegari, as guest-curated by Lawrence Rinder
.
In September, 2007, They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of Jewish Life in Poland Before the Holocaust opened at the Museum. Mayer July resulted from a collaboration between Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, a professor of performance studies and folklore at NYU, and her father, Mayer Kirshenblatt, who was born in Poland
in 1916. With Barbara's encouragement, Mayer taught himself to paint as a septuagenarian and produced sixty-five paintings chronicling life in the Polish town of Opatów
before the Holocaust.
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
of Jewish history, art, and culture in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. It was founded in 1962 by Seymour
Seymour Fromer
Seymour Fromer was an American co-founder of the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California. Fromer co-founded the museum, which houses 11,000 Jewish artifacts, one of the largest collections in the United States, with his wife, Rebecca Fromer, in a Berkeley mansion in 1962. He remained the...
and Rebecca Fromer and named for Jewish activist Rabbi Judah L. Magnes, a native of Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. Magnes co-founded the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem ; ; abbreviated HUJI) is Israel's second-oldest university, after the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The Hebrew University has three campuses in Jerusalem and one in Rehovot. The world's largest Jewish studies library is located on its Edmond J...
.
Collections
The Museum has a large collection of art and ritual objects and contains the Blumenthal Rare Book and Manuscript Library and Western Jewish History CenterWestern Jewish History Center
The Western Jewish History Center of the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California, established in 1967, contains a library and a large collection of archival material that documents and preserves the history and experiences of the Jewish community of the Western United States from the start...
. The WJHC documents the history of the Jewish community in the thirteen western United States, with a special focus on the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and has a large collection of original records, papers, correspondence, and photographs that document the history of the Museum. The Center also contains copies of all of the Museum's publications and a detailed archive of its exhibition history.
Facilities
The space available for the Museum has grown over time. Beginning as one room above the Parkway Movie Theater off Lake Merritt in downtown Oakland, the Museum eventually expanded to its present site in the former Burke Mansion (architect: Daniel J. PattersonDaniel J. Patterson
Daniel James Patterson was an American architect around the turn of the 20th century. Much of his work was done for the Southern Pacific Railroad....
) down the road from the Claremont Resort and Spa
Claremont Resort
The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa is a historic hotel at the foot of Claremont Canyon in the Berkeley Hills, providing the resort with scenic views of San Francisco Bay. The hotel building is entirely in Oakland, bordering Berkeley....
in Berkeley. The Magnes is the third-largest Jewish museum in the United States and became affiliated with the University of California at Berkeley in late 2009.
Exhibitions
My America opened at the Magnes on June 5, 2006. The exhibit was on loan from the Jewish MuseumJewish Museum
Jewish Museum may refer to:Australia* Jewish Museum of Australia, Melbourne, VictoriaAustria* Jewish Museum ViennaCzech Republic* Jewish Museum of PragueDenmark* Danish Jewish Museum, CopenhagenGeorgia...
in New York.
Known for promoting the avant-garde since its inception in the early sixties, the Magnes also launched the REVISIONS series of installations, including such artists as Ann Chamberlain, Naomie Kremer, Larry Abramson
Larry Abramson
- Biography :Abramson was born in 1954 in South Africa. In 1961, his family emigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem. In 1970, as a high school senior, he was one of the signators of a conscientious objectors to Israeli rejection of Egyptian President Nasser’s peace initiative. In 1973 Abramson...
, Jonathon Keats
Jonathon Keats
Jonathon Keats is an American conceptual artist and experimental philosopher known for creating large-scale thought experiments. Keats was born in New York City and studied philosophy at Amherst College...
, Amy Berk, and Shahrokh Yadegari, as guest-curated by Lawrence Rinder
Lawrence Rinder
Lawrence R. Rinder is the Director of Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive , a position to which he was appointed in 2008.Previously, he was the Dean of the College at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco...
.
In September, 2007, They Called Me Mayer July: Painted Memories of Jewish Life in Poland Before the Holocaust opened at the Museum. Mayer July resulted from a collaboration between Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, a professor of performance studies and folklore at NYU, and her father, Mayer Kirshenblatt, who was born in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1916. With Barbara's encouragement, Mayer taught himself to paint as a septuagenarian and produced sixty-five paintings chronicling life in the Polish town of Opatów
Opatów
Opatów is a town in Poland, in Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It is the capital of Opatów County. Its population is 7,833 .Tourist attractions include a 12th century Collegiate Church of St...
before the Holocaust.
See also
- Yehuda L. Magnes
- Commission for the Preservation of Pioneer Jewish Cemeteries and Landmarks