The Magnes |

Spring 2016
Exhibitions & Public Programs

Spring Exhibitions

January 26-June 24, 2016

Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
From Mendelssohn to Mendelsohnn:
German Jewish Encounters in Art, Music and Material Culture
Moritz D. Oppenheim (1800-1882), often celebrated as the first modern Jewish painter, created
Lavater and Lessing Visit Moses Mendelssohn in 1856: an imagined mid-eighteenth century
meeting among scholars and intellectual associates Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1786) and Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (1729-1781), and the Swiss theologian Johann Kaspar Lavater (17411801), at the Mendelssohns residence in Berlin. This exhibition evokes the original setting of the
painting and the history of the Mendelssohn family by activating the extensive holdings of German-Jewish ritual art, books, manuscripts, and material culture. More at: bit.ly/2mendelssohn

Larger Stages of Identity:

Theater Posters from The Magnes Collection (1903-1994)
Among the most important components of The Magnes pictorial holdings is a collection of nearly
one thousand posters acquired worldwide since the 1960s. This diverse and fascinating group of
works has been acquired via a broad network of paper and print collectors, purchased in museum
stores, or simply taken off walls in the streets of cities around the world. Their scope encompasses
daily life, politics, advertising, communal events, culture and the arts in the United States, Europe,
and Israel across the twentieth century, voicing a globally recognized Jewish cultural identity firmly
placed at center stage. More at: bit.ly/stagesofidentity

Living by the Book:

The Jewish Bible and the Everyday Power of Text
Living by The Book brings together scrolls, ritual objects, clothing, furniture, and tourist memorabilia from The Magnes Collection that express culture in biblical terms with remarkable diversity
and creativity, showcasing the ways text can serve as an archive of possibilities and a powerful
platform for shaping everyday life. More at: bit.ly/livebythebook

The Jewish World | A Book Installation

The Jewish World: 100 Treasures of Art and Culture, published by Skir-Rizzoli in the Fall of 2014,
is the first comprehensive catalog featuring the holdings of The Magnes. With art and material
culture hailing from India, Spain, Yemen, Germany, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco, China, Russia, the
United States, and other regions where Jews once lived or continue to live, The Jewish World gives
insights into the richness and variety of Jewish cultures. Select pages from this lavishly illustrated
volume populate an installation in the Auditorium. More at: bit.ly/thejewishworld.

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

University of California, Berkeley
2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94720
510.643.2526 magnes.berkeley.edu

Spring 2016 Public Programs

Exhibition opening | The Mendelssohn Project: German Jewish
Encounters in Art, Music & Material Culture

PopUp Exhibition Series

Wednesdays Noon-1 p.m.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 5 p.m.

Opening reception with remarks by George Breslauer,

Faculty Director, The Magnes, and Anthony Cascardi,
Dean of Arts and Humanities. Performance of Felix
Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Piano Trio No.2 in C minor,
Op.66 (1845) by Roger Moseley, Hrabba Atladottir, violin | Hannah Addario-Berry, cello.
Gallery tours accompanied by Mendelssohns Song
Without Words performed by UC Berkeley students.
Free and open to the public.
RSVP at bit.ly/magnesopening2016 by January 22

THE MENDELSSOHN PROJECT

One Exhibition, two historic pianos, and fourteen lectures & performances
A collaboration of: The Office of the Dean of Arts and Humanities, the Departments of History and Music, and The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life
Program Committee: Anthony J. Cascardi, Thomas Laqueur, Nicholas Mathew,
Francesco Spagnolo
Talks and Performances: Roger Moseley (Cornell), Michael Steinberg (Brown),
Adrian Daub (Stanford), Ariana Strahl (Soprano), Celia Applegate (Vanderbilt),
Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Nicholas McGegan (Philharmonia Baroque
Orchestra), Carla Shapreau (UC Berkeley), Brett Lockspeiser (Sefaria), Daniel
Schifrin (Berkeley), Lauren Cooper (UC Berkeley), Professors Nicholas Mathew
and James Davies with students from the Pianism seminar (UC Berkeley)
Performances on historic pianos on loan from the Department of Music
January 26 - April 12, 2016
More information at bit.ly/mendelssohnproject

Film Series | Depth of Field: Sephardic Identities on Screen

First Tuesday of the Month, 7 p.m
A film seminar presented by the Townsend Center for the Humanities and The
Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life University of California, Berkeley
2015-2016. All screenings at The Magnes.
February 2, 2016:
The Governess, UK, 1998.
115 min.
The life of Rosina da Silva, the
eldest daughter of a wealthy
Jewish Italian family living in a
small enclave of Sephardic Jews in London
in the 1830s.

March 1, 2016:
The Wedding Song,
France-Tunisia, 2008.
100 min.
The Nazi occupation of Tunisia
strains the bonds of friendship
between a Muslim and a
Sephardic woman who are both preparing
for their marriages.

April 5, 2016:
Turn Left at the End
of the World,
France-Israel, 2004.
110 min.
In Israel in the late-1960s,
Jewish immigrants from India
are confronted with a
community of Moroccan Jews.

Each week, UC Berkeley faculty and

students, visiting artists and other
notable guests present brief lectures
focused on selected treasures from
the The Magnes Collection of
Jewish Art and Life. One speaker and
one object at the time, these flash
exhibitions include the opportunity
to view the art and artifacts discussed
intimately and up close.
Bring your own lunch, enjoy
complimentary refreshments, and take
part in an exciting learning program,
free and open to the public.
Close-up view of collections
included.
SPRING SCHEDULE 2016
February 10, 17, 24; March 2, 9, 16,
30; April 6, 13, 20, 27
No lectures on March 23 (Spring Recess) and May 4 (Yom Ha-Shoah)

Great Talks | Spring 2016

Frances Dinkelspiel | Tangled Vines. Jews and the creation of the

California wine industry
March 8, 2016, 5-7 p.m., reception 5 p.m.

Author and journalist Frances Dinkelspiel explores the Jewish connections

in the history uncovered by her recent NY Times bestseller book, Tangled
Vines: Greed, Murder, Obsession and an Arsonist in the Vineyards of California (St. Martins Press 2015), including Benjamin Dreyfus pioneering
of kosher wine production in the Golden State, Isaias Hellman and Daniel
Mayers controlling interest in the California Wine Association, and Samuel
Lachmans famous wine blending services.

Noreen Green | Cinema Judaica. Jewish Composers & Hollywood Film Music
April 19, 2016, 5-7 p.m., reception 5 p.m.
Dr. Noreen Green, Artistic Director and Conductor
of the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony (LAJS), which
she founded in 1994, discusses the history of film
music, concentrating on the contribution of Jewish
migr composers. The talk will include the
screening of movie highlights, as well as recordings
from the LAJS performances.