Jewish Artists In

20th Century America

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield University’s Carl and Dorothy Bennett Center for Judaic Studies of the College of Arts and Sciences will present its inaugural Samuel and Bettie Roberts lecture on Jewish Art and Artists with Ori Z. Soltes, PhD, the Goldman Professional Lecturer in the Theology and Fine Arts Department at Georgetown University, on Wednesday, April 11.

Former director and curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Dr Soltes will deliver a talk entitled “Fixing The World: Jewish Artists in America,” which will center around his most recent book, Fixing The World: Jewish American Painters in the Twentieth Century. Tikkun olam, meaning the repair of the world, speaks to a Jewish desire to fix the world by way of bettering society or speaking out against racism and violence, is a common theme among the paintings of this era.

In his book, Dr Soltes explores how Jewish art relates to Jewish identity, delving into the abundance of work by Jews in the 20th Century. His examination of little known and famous artists, including Joyce Ellen Weinstein and Ben Shahn, is also a survey of how culture, society, and history inspired Jewish painters. Dr Soltes wrote that through their art, they convey the “fact of being American and Jewish — and the questions of what those two words mean in the larger context of art.”

The lecture will take place in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business dining room, located on the Fairfield campus, at 7:30 pm.

Admission is free, but seating is limited so reservations are requested; call 203-254-4000, extension 2066.