Painting Nostalgia: Jewish American Portraits

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Painting Nostalgia: Jewish American Portraits

Both collections of the National Portrait Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston include compelling portraits of Jewish sitters. Although painted by different artists and in different contexts, these works share an often-neglected common trait: they either present a Jewish sitter or were made by Jewish artists who found success in wider, secular society through other subjects and genres. In some cases, cosmopolitan, secular artists were drawn to traditional Jewish sitters and scenes. How did depictions of Jewish life fit into their broader production? What do these works tell us about the journey of Jewish artists working in the 19th and early 20th centuries? And, what about portraits of Jewish sitters who are more secular? Discover the answers to these questions and more with our guest, Simona Di Nepi, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Curator of Judaica, MFA Boston, as she traces the stories of these portraits and the artists who created them. Moderated by Kate Clarke Lemay, Acting Senior Historian at the National Portrait Gallery, this program is part of the Greenberg Steinhauser Forum in American Portraiture.

1 hr 29 sec

Portrait Gallery Museum Smithsonian "National Portrait Gallery" "Washington DC" DC Smithsonians "National Mall" "Gallery Place" "Smithsonian Channel" Landsdowne "Americas Presidents" Presidents "US History" "History Documentary" Documentary Paintings Capital "Presidential Portraits" "Kogod Courtyard" Cafe "Courtyard Cafe"