Dance Photos Capture
Early Israeli Spirit
LESLEY PEARL STAFF WRITER
I
Roots
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AMERICAN
CANCER
SOCIETY'
happening in Europe at the
hey met on the roof of his
time. A freedom to jump, yet re-
Tel Aviv garden apart-
main tied to the earth, a feeling
ment where he lived for
that yes, there was a place
40 years.
He was an aging
photographer who
had shot everything
from industry to
dance to publicity
photographs for the
Jewish National
Fund. She was a pho-
tohistorian.
`To enter his apart-
ment was to enter his
world. That sense of
innocence permeated
every part of his
work. It wasn't con-
trived," she said.
friendship
A
forged.
He died about one
year ago. His name
was A. Himmelreich.
She continues to
preserve his legacy.
Her name is Vivienne
Silver.
For the first time,
Mr. Himmelreich's Is-
raeli dance pho-
tographs — titled
"Mood and Move-
ment," spanning
1936-61, are being
shown in the United
States.
Street
Pierce
Gallery in Birming-
ham is hosting 24
pieces of the black- Himmelreich's Fire
and-white photogra-
phy through March.
where this could happen."
The shades of gray show the
Ms. Yaker added, "It sum-
un-choreographed dance of
marizes the whole Zionistic
troupes, individuals and two
spirit."
girls known as the Ornstein
Mr. Himmelreich emigrated
twins in both leaps and dra-
to Palestine in 1933. He found
matic studio shots in Israel.
it reasonably easy to obtain the
Most of the work was done pri-
necessary visa as he had both
or to statehood.
money and a trade. He was a
Mr. Himmelreich's earliest
self-taught artist, shooting since
dance pieces are dramatically
1917, the year he received a
lit, an attempt to erase the line
camera for his bar mitzvah.
where wall and floor meet with-
Mr. Himmelreich's earliest
in the studio. He later moved
influences included pictorislists
his camera and subjects outside
and photojournalists. What he
— the landscape nearly as cen-
created later, especially in the
tral as the dancers themselves.
dance photos, is now viewed as
"I love what these pho-
innovative.
tographs say to me about form
"You have to be very quick
and that the land is always
and to know what you want to
there. There's an attachment to
photograph," Mr. Himmelreich
it, even when the dancers leave
said in a March 28, 1991, arti-
the ground," said Marcia Box-
cle in the Jerusalem Post.
man, co-owner of the Pierce
"When you look at the pho-
Street Gallery with Elaine Yak-
tographs, you should feel the
er and Nanette Carnick.
dance."
"There's a freedom in the
All this said, Mr. Himmelre-
photos in contrast to what was
ich never gained extensive
recognition during his life.
Ms. Silver is trying to change
that.
Working out of a
gallery space about
10x10 in Jerusalem,
Ms. Silver researches,
records and preserves
early Jewish photog-
raphy.
"So little has been
done," she said.
In 1988, Mr. Him-
melreich secured an
exhibit at the Museum
of Israeli Art in Ramat-
Gan. His only other ex-
posure had been in
group shows and in
Ms. Silver's small
space.
A catalog of the
dance photos, created
by Ms. Silver and pub-
lished by the same mu-
seum, was recently
released. Ms. Silver
hopes the catalog and
beginning interest by
galleries and museums
in the United States
will help spawn knowl-
edge and popularity of
Israeli photographers.
"American collectors
will bring about the
fame," Ms. Silver said.
"There is a provincial
quality in Israelis; they
do not accept photog-
raphy as art. A lot of
Israelis think it's a
form that is too easy.
"Also, there's not much of a
collectors' market here. Israel
is an early society, just estab-
lishing its tradition of collect-
jog. , 0
)
Corrections
The last line was omitted
from the Feb. 4 story on Jew-
ish Shriners, Masons and the
Shrine Circus. The sentence
should have said: Crescent
Lodge, which is predomi-
nantly Jewish, will bring
about 2,000 children with dis-
abilities to the circus on Feb.
16.
The Past Department Pres-
idents Club of the Jewish
War Veterans Ladies Auxil-
iary will hold a luncheon
meeting 12:30 p.m. Feb 19 at
Pearl City.