A magnificent survey exhibition of Jewish avant-garde artists from Romania is on view at the Jewish Historical Museum (JHM): From Dada to Surrealism, with more than seventy works of art from the period 1910-1938. Most of these works have never been on display before in the Netherlands, or anywhere outside Romania.

In the early twentieth century, the art world was taken by storm by the fearless experimentalism of Tristan Tzara and Marcel Janco, who were among the founder of Dada at the renowned Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. Along with Victor Brauner, M.H. Maxy, and the older Romanian artist Arthur Segal, they were present at the birth of an influential avant-garde movement. They also inspired the younger artists Jules Perahim and Paul Paun, two pioneers of Surrealism. Some of these artists are well know to art lovers, but few people realize that they share a common background: they were all Jewish and born in Romania.

In the 1920s, artists such as Victor Brauner (1903-1966), Marcel Janco (1895-1984), and Max Herman Maxy (1895-1971) astonished the public with their fearless experimentalism. Surrealist, abstract, and expressionistic works, picto-poetry, and personal variations on Constructivism - nothing was too radical for them. Along with fellow artists like Arthur Segal (1875-1944), they were present at the birth of an influential avant-garde movement.

In 1924, Brauner, Janco, and Maxy introduced the Romanian public to modern art from Europe for the first time. They came into the public eye again later through their contributions to well-known magazines like 75 HP, Punct, and Integral. The exhibition From Dada to Surrealism presents the rise and development of a range of Jewish artists from Romania, highlighting Segal's Neo-Impressionist art, Brauner's Surrealist works, Janco's portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes, and Maxy's growing interest in social themes.

Developments on the Romanian art scene in the early twentieth century have received little serious study. Because of the deeply ingrained anti-Semitism of the Eastern Bloc at the time and in the decades that followed, art historians shied away from publishing research on artists of Jewish origin. As a result, their work long remained underappreciated in the West. The Jewish Historical Museum is now offering the public an opportunity to discover the unique achievements of these avant-garde artists. The exhibition From Dada to Surrealism: Jewish Avant-Garde Artists from Romania, 1910-1938 underscores the long-neglected importance of Bucharest to the European avant-garde and explores the relationship between Jewish identity and radical modernity. The exhibition will run until October 2, 2011.

From Dada to Surrealism

Jewish Avant-Garde Artists from Romania   

On view: June 1 until October 2, 2011

Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam

First Ever Survey Exhibition of Jewish Avant-Garde Artists From Romania

www.jhm.nl

Museum Information:

Jewish Historical Museum, Joods Historisch Museum

Nieuwe Amstelstraat 1

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1001 RE

Phone: +31 (020) 5310310

Website: www.jhm.nl

Mon - Sun: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Jewish Historical Museum
The Jewish Historical Museum Foundation was established on 23 May 1930 for the purpose of 'collecting and exhibiting that which presents a picture of Jewish life in general and Dutch Jewish life in particular, in the broadest sense of these terms; discussing in meetings everything related to this; and making use of all such means to promote Jewish art and learning'.

This mission statement still applies today, although with slight changes in emphasis. For instance, over the years the JHM has decided to devote more energy to collecting the work of Dutch Jewish artists and non-Jewish artists who dealt with Jewish themes. The donation of Charlotte Salomon's Life? or Theatre? to the museum greatly enhanced this part of the collection. Another shift in emphasis took place with the successful exhibition Pedlar, Middleman, Manufacturer: Jewish Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Holland, 1796-1940.

Since the museum was founded, some 11,000 objects have been added to the collection. A small selection is on display in the permanent exhibitions Religion, History of the Jews in the Netherlands 1600-1900, and History of the Jews in the Netherlands 1900-The Present Day. In addition, the Resource Centre holds approximately 43,000 books, brochures, documents, photographs, and audiovisual titles. The JHM Children's Museum features the permanent exhibition The Hollander family home.

JHM Children's Museum
In December 2006, the Jewish Historical Museum opened the JHM Children's Museum. Housed in one of the four synagogues, it has three levels and is designed as the home of a Jewish family, the Hollanders. In the eight rooms of the house, children aged 6 to 12 are offered a playful introduction to Jewish life and traditions. The JHM Children's Museum has its own website, where you can visit a virtual version of the museum.

Hollandsche Schouwburg
The Hollandsche Schouwburg was built as a theatre in 1892, but during the Second World War it was a deportation centre for Jews. Today, the building is a monument to the memory of those victims. In 1992, the Hollandsche Schouwburg came under the management of the JHM. At that time, the Hollandsche Schouwburg Foundation was established, and since then the mayor of Amsterdam has always served as its chairman. The monument contains a memorial wall, bearing the 6,700 family names of the 104,000 Dutch Jewish victims of the Second World War, and an educational exhibition for young people. In the coming years, the Hollandsche Schouwburg will be thoroughly renovated and expanded.

Portuguese Synagogue
De Portuguese Synagogue was built between 1671 and 1675 and is across the square from the JHM. In 2009, the Hollandsche Schouwburg came under the management of the JHM. This exceptional building is open to visitors and is still used for religious services by the Sephardi community. From 2009 to 2011 it will be under renovation. The Portuguese Synagogue's annexes house the library Ets Haim - Livraria Montezinos. During renovation, the collection will be temporarily located in the Special Collections building of the VU University library.