Drawn from the world-renowned collection of the Jewish Museum in New York City, this exhibition presents more than 130 Jewish ceremonial objects (Judaica) created from antiquity to the present, including books, silver, and textiles. From South Asia to North Africa and from Western Europe to Australia, the works represent many parts of the world and display a diversity of Jewish cultures.
Exploring the artistic, cultural, and ritualistic significance of these objects, the exhibition illuminates how Jewish communities and artists have creatively adapted traditional forms of Judaica by utilizing a rich array of materials, styles, and techniques. The works are organized thematically in three sections: “The Art of the Synagogue: Adorning the Torah,” “A Day of Rest: The Radiance of the Sabbath,” and “Beyond the Synagogue and the Home: The Light of the Hanukkah Menorah.” The Frist Art Museum’s presentation of this exhibition will coincide with Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights.
Beauty and Ritual provides a lens into stories of precious ownership and often-precarious survival against all odds—many of the objects on view escaped near-destruction and were salvaged under extraordinary circumstances. The exhibition invites people of all backgrounds and cultures to engage with the remarkable stories of exceptional pieces of Judaica. To activate and contextualize the artworks, the Frist is collaborating with Nashville’s longstanding and vibrant Jewish community on the audio guide, videos, and public programs. A family-friendly experience, Beauty and Ritual will have a printed gallery guide designed to help navigate the exhibition with children, plus books for people of every age to read and enjoy while surrounded by art.
Beauty and Ritual: Judaica from the Jewish Museum, New York has been organized by the Jewish Museum, New York.
Exhibition gallery
Moshe Zabari. Torah crown, 1969. Raised and forged silver, pearls on strings; 16 × 14 1/2 × 8 7/8 in. The Jewish Museum, New York, Gift of the Albert A. List Family, JM 85-69. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Baghdad. Hanukkah lamp, 19th–early 20th century. Cast copper alloy; 10 5/8 × 17 5/8 × 4 5/8 in. The Jewish Museum, New York, Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman, F 4254. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Cochin (now Kochi), India. Torah case finials, 18th or 19th century. Repoussé, pierced, and engraved gold with tin backing; left: 8 1/4 × 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 in., right: 8 1/4 × 3 1/2 × 3 3/4 in. The Jewish Museum, New York, Purchase: Gift of Michael and Luz Zak and Judaica Acquisitions Fund, 1982-184a-b. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Moritz Daniel Oppenheim. Shavuot (Pentecost) (Das Wochen- oder Pfingst-Fest), 1880. Oil on canvas; 28 × 23 7/8 in. The Jewish Museum, New York, Gift of the Oscar and Regina Gruss Charitable and Educational Foundation, Inc., 1999-85. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Westheim bei Haßfurt (now in Germany). Torah ark, 18th century. Carved and painted pinewood and fabric embroidered with metallic thread; 125 1/2 × 69 × 21 in. The Jewish Museum, New York, Gift of Arthur Heiman, JM 138-47a-j. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Possibly Germany. Menorah, second half of the 19th century. Engraved, traced, punched, appliqué, and cast silver; 18 5/8 × 18 1/2 × 7 1/8 in. The Jewish Museum, New York, Gift of the Danzig Jewish Community, D 205. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Exhibition supporters
The Frist Art Museum is supported in part by
