An Jewish Art in America
An Introduction

Serving as a study of Jewish art in America, this title presents the history of the Jewish experience in American art as seen through the works of many different artists. Its focus is the examination of Jewish subject matter employed by artists, their responses to their religious and ethnic heritage as well as to significant events of the time.

In this first book-length study of Jewish art in America, Matthew Baigell explores works from the early settlers of America to the present. It concentrates on exploring and examining Jewish subject matter employed by artists as they illustrated aspects of their religious and ethnic heritage and as they responded to major events over the decades, including the Great Migration, the Great Depression, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel, as well as the dispersal of Jewish artists around the country and the rise of feminism and spiritualism in the late-twentieth century. Subjects include genre scenes of 'the Jewish street,' religious and spiritual themes derived from the Bible and the Kabbalah, and images that record the artists' participation in and witnessing of major events in their lifetimes. The author also considers the often asked questions: Is there a Jewish art? and, Is there a single Jewish Experience?

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Until 1920, Preliminaries and Beginnings Chapter 4 The 1920s, Settling In Chapter 5 The 1930s, Social Issues Chapter 6 The 1940s, The Holocaust Years and After Chapter 7 The 1950s and After, The Older Generation Chapter 8 The 1950s and After, The Younger Generation Chapter 9 The 1970s and After, Representative Figures Chapter 10 The 1970s and After, Later Holocaust Responses Chapter 11 The 1970s and After, Spiritualism Chapter 12 The 1970s and After, Feminism Chapter 13 Conclusion Chapter 14 Works Cited Chapter 15 Index