Posted by Naomi Firestone-Teeter
Yale University Press and the Jewish Museum really are a great team. Their most recent collaboration, which came out in October, Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, is a wonderful snapshot of the Jewish role in theater and art in Russia in the early 20th century. This coffee-table size book has a beautiful assortment of images from the period that accompany essays by Susan Tumarkin Goodman, Zvi Gitelman, Vladislav Ivanov, Jeffrey Veidlinger, and Benjamin Harshav. Yale UP‘s website sheds some more light:
Spanning such topics as Jewish culture and history in the Soviet Union, the volume includes stunning reproductions of Chagall’s celebrated theater murals; fascinating archival materials such as posters, prints, and playbills; designs for costumes and sets; and many other breathtaking works.
For those in the New York area, the Jewish Museum has their exhibit of the same title up until March 22nd. More information about the exhibit can be found by visiting the Jewish Museum’s website.
Images above, in order from top to bottom:
Natan Altman, Poster for Jewish Luck, 1925. Collection of Merrill C. Berman, New York. Art © Estate of Natan Altman/RAO, Moscow/VAGA, New York.
Ignatii Nivinsky, Gypsy woman (Costume design for The Golem), 1925, paper, lead pencil, watercolor. Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (Moscow).
Marc Chagall, Dance, 1920, tempera, gouache, and opaque white on canvas. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow. © 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Naomi is the CEO of Jewish Book Council. She graduated from Emory University with degrees in English and Art History and, in addition, studied at University College London. Prior to her role as executive director and now CEO, Naomi served as the founding editor of the JBC website and blog and managing editor of Jewish Book World. In addition, she has overseen JBC’s digital initiatives, and also developed the JBC’s Visiting Scribe series and Unpacking the Book: Jewish Writers in Conversation.