“Richard McBee: Hearing Sarah.” In 16 extremely large, colorful paintings, Richard McBee re-imagines biblical stories about Sarah, Abraham’s wife, from her point of view. (JCC in Manhattan; Aug. 25-Oct. 28)
“16 mm Postcards: Home Movies of American Jewish Visitors to 1930s Poland.” This stunning, wrenching exhibit of homemade videos by American Jews, taken in the 1920s and ‘30s, captures Jewish life as it existed before the Second World War. It lends a painfully lucid window into a world now vanished. (Center for Jewish History; Aug. 29-Jan. 2)
“Ann Ginsburgh Hofkin: The Land Before You.” The Minnesota photographer Ann Ginsburgh Hofkin shows her quietly radiant landscape works taken in the Tiberias region in Israel. She traveled there several years ago in order to capture ancient lands in all their awe-inspiring splendor. (Weill Art Gallery, 92nd Street Y; Sept. 1-Oct. 11)
“A Stitch in Jewish Time: Provocative Textiles.” Except for the Renaissance, tapestries rarely considered high art. But over the past few decades, feminist artists have transformed the once condescendingly deemed “handicraft” (read: women’s hobby) into a worthy artistic medium. Scores of recent textiles addressing Jewish themes are the focus of this commendable show. (Hebrew Union College Museum; Sept. 7-June 30, 2011)
“Shifting the Gaze: Painting and Feminism.” Focusing on the matrix of Jewish artists and the feminist art movement, this impressive show includes works by Eva Hesse, Joan Snyder, Deborah Kass, Judy Chicago and many more. (The Jewish Museum; Sept. 12-Jan. 30, 2011)
“The Mexican Suitcase.” The discovery three years ago of 4,500 negatives taken by David “Chim” Seymour, Robert Capa and Gerda Taro during the Spanish Civil forms the basis of this show. All three photographers were Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi Europe, then went on to capture some of the most iconic images of the 20th century. Now there are thousands more to see. (International Center of Photography; Sept. 24-Jan. 9, 2011)
Lior Shvil in “In Practice Projects.” The Israeli-born, New York-based artist Lior Shvil is one of four young talents including in this contemporary art exhibit. Shvil displays a video installation called “The Kosher Butcher,” which satirizes cultural stereotypes and political ideology, among other things. (Sculpture Center in Queens; Sept. 13-Nov. 29)
“Michel Chelbin: The Black Eye.” Though a mainstay in Israel’s museums and galleries, the photographer Michel Chelbin has rarely been seen in the States. The Chelsea art dealer Andrea Meislin, a champion of Israeli artists, rectifies that with this upcoming show. Photographs from Russia, Ukraine and Israel, most with a melancholic tinge, make up the bulk of the work seen. (Andrea Meislin Gallery; Sept. 28-Nov. 6)
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