The Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit,
Congregation Shir Tikvah and The Detroit Jewish News
invite the community to a Concert featuring
Israel's Sensational Musical Group
Reva L'Sheva
Hague that van Gogh fre-
quented, where he found
many of these figures, were
also very much the Jewish
quarters of the city, so there's a
very real connection there,"
curator Keyes says.
"There's a very interesting
exhibition about van Gogh at
the Hague in which they talk
about the part of the city or N
certain parts of the city,
including the one that indeed
had a large population of
Jewish residents.
"An artist he admired very
much throughout his life was
[Dutch painter] Rembrandt,
and we know that Rembrandt
lived in the Jewish quarter of
Amsterdam. Van Gogh must
have known that fact and the
fact that Rembrandt would
search out these extraordinary
characters as subjects for his
paintings and etchings.
"No doubt unconsciously,
van Gogh must have been
more or less thinking of doing
the same thing in a parallel
"Fisherman with a Sou'wester" shows van Goghs
way during his own time."
esteem for the work ofiewish painter Jozef Israels.
B.J. Blackford, a retired
educator living in
a whole variety of other modern artists.
Birmingham, is a distant relative of
"In the 19th century, most Jews
van Gogh and has done considerable
were virtual strangers to the culture of
research about the painter.
the west, especially its visual culture.
Blackford, who lectures about the
Yet by the early 20th century, if you
man and his work, is familiar with one
went down the major street for selling
drawing he did in the Jewish quarter
art in Paris, Rue La Boetie, you would
of the Hague, known as Paddemoes.
find a host of Jewish art dealers. It's
"It's a street scene with two or three
fascinating how and why this happens,
people walking," says Blackford, who
and it tells a lot about Jewish culture.
quotes a passage written by van Gogh:
"Van Gogh's art, especially its
"I did not say anything until we
posthumous history, intersects with
came to a little drawing which I once
the history of modern Jews in Europe
sketched at 12:00 at night while
and America," Dellheim says. "There
strolling around with Breitner. [It was
were many collectors and dealers who
of] the Paddemoes [the Jewish quarter
were interested in van Gogh and who
near the new church] as seen from the
were important in buying and popu-
peat market. Next morning, I had
larizing his work. The very famous
worked on it again with my pen."
portrait of Dr. Gachet had a number
When Dellheim gives his talk on
of Jewish owners.
May 17, he will explore the market-
"With the post-Impressionists like
ing of van Gogh's works by Jewish
van Gogh, Jews are beginning to make
art dealers.
themselves felt as historians, critics, deal-
"If you look at the history of van
ers, connoisseurs and painters, too." ❑
Gogh's reception, the role played by
Paul Cassirer, a Berlin art dealer from
a very eminent German Jewish family,
Van Gogh: Face to Face will be on
is very striking," Dellheim explains.
view
10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays-
"To a lesser extent, Parisian dealers,
Thursdays
and 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
the Bernhein brothers, have some very
Fridays-Saturdays,
March 12-June
close connections.
4,
at
the
Detroit
Institute
of Arts.
"Anybody who hears my talk will
Admission is $8-$18. For infor-
have a better sense not only of the role
mation, call (313) 833-8499.
of Jewish art dealers in the marketing
of van Gogh's works, but the works of
Saturday, March 25, 2000 • 8:30 p.m.
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan Detroit
D. Dan and Betty Kahn Building
Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus
6600 West Maple Road a West Bloomfield, MI
The performance is part of
Shir Tikvahis year-long Shlomo Carlebach Festival.
iCC or Shir Tikvah Members: $10 a Non-Members: $15
Teens and College Students to age 22: $8
Discounts are available to youth groups of 20 or more participants.
For tickets, call the West Bloomfield JCC
at (248) 661-1000, the Oak Park JCC at (248) 967-4030
or Shir Tikvah at (248) 649-4418, ext. 11.
Funded in part by the H.S. Soble Foundation
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