Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York July 10–September 18, 2022
Torah Ark, 18th century, pinewood: carved and painted; fabric: embroidered with metallic thread, the Jewish Museum, New York, gift of Arthur Heiman. Photograph © The Jewish Museum, New York, John Parnell
Menorah, 1867–72, silver: cast, engraved, and traced, the Jewish Museum, New York, gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman in memory of Adele Friedman. Photograph © The Jewish Museum, New York, Richard Goodbody, Inc.
Spice Container, c. 1550, repairs and additions 1650–51, silver: traced, pierced, cast, and parcel-gilt, Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, the Jewish Museum, New York. Photograph © The Jewish Museum, New York, Richard Goodbody, Inc.
Menorah, second half of 19th century, copper alloy: cast and appliqué, the Jewish Museum, New York, gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman. Photograph © The Jewish Museum, New York
Moshe Zabari, Torah Crown, 1969, silver: raised and forged, with pearls on strings, the Jewish Museum, New York, gift of the Albert A. List Family. Photograph © The Jewish Museum, New York
Josef Kohn, Menorah, 1872–1921, silver: repoussé, traced, punched, and cast, the Jewish Museum, New York, gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman. Photograph © The Jewish Museum, New York
Installation view of Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York.
Installation view of Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York.
Examining Jewish ceremonial objects from antiquity to the present, Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York marks the first in a series of presentations from the world-renowned collection of the Jewish Museum in New York City. The new, ongoing partnership between the MFAH and the Jewish Museum brings exceptional objects to Houston over a period of years.
Beauty and Ritual explores the artistic, ritualistic, and cultural significance of more than 140 works. The objects on view derive from Jewish communities throughout the world, spanning Central Asia to North Africa and Western Europe. The exhibition also explores how artists—from different backgrounds—and Jewish communities have creatively adapted traditional forms of Judaica by utilizing a rich array of styles, materials, and techniques, and drawing on broader cultures.
The exhibition comprises three thematic galleries: “The Art of the Synagogue: Adorning the Torah,” “A Day of Rest: The Radiance of the Sabbath,” and “Beyond the Synagogue and the Home: The Light of the Hanukkah Menorah.”
In early 2023, the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Gallery for Judaica opens at the MFAH for the ongoing presentation of objects on loan from the Jewish Museum.
► Shop the Show See exhibition-related items at the MFA Shop online.
► Opening Day | “Beauty, Ritual, and a Journey through Jewish Ceremonial Art”
► Special Program | “Object Stories: Judaica in Synagogue and Home”
Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York / July 10–September 18, 2022
This exhibition is organized by the Jewish Museum, New York, in partnership with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Major support provided by:
Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff
Generous support is provided by:
Joan and Stanford Alexander
Joyce Z. Greenberg
Rochelle and Alan Jacobson
Mr. and Mrs. Rodney H. Margolis
Paula G. and Irving Pozmantier
Ann G. Trammell
Scott J. and Nancy F. Atlas
Marty and Kathy Goossen
Marc Grossberg
Barbara and Raymond Kalmans
Joan and Marvin Kaplan Foundation
Helaine and David Lane
Rosalyn and Barry Margolis
Suzanne Miller
Lainie Gordon and David Mincberg
Jean Mintz
Carol and David Neuberger
Esther and Gary Polland
The Radoff Family
Leslie and Russ Robinson
Glen Rosenbaum
Joan Schnitzer
Susan and Ed Septimus
Jeri and Marc Shapiro
The Shirley and Bruce Stein Family
The Diana and Conrad Weil, Jr. Family Foundation
Lori and Scott Wulfe
Erla and Harry Zuber