Meditations on Love
In Memory Of Lili Deutsch Toby Weisel Roz Barak Els Forger
“Who can return the violated honor of the self. I cannot claim that art is all powerful magic, or pure faith, but one virtue cannot be denied it: its loyalty to the individual, its devotion to his suffering and fears, and the bit of light which occasionally sparkles within him....� Aharon Appelfeld, Beyond Despair, 1991
בס"ד
Meditations on Love Mindy Weisel March 20 - May 2, 2017
16 King David St., Jerusalem (entrance on 2 Hess St.) www.rosenbach.co.il uri@rosenbach.co.il tel +972-507-516091
Meditations on Love, 2017
Meditations on Love Love is never stagnant; it is most fiercely independent; necessary; vital; universal; beyond language,; willful; an essential aspect of our lives. Love has a life of its own. It is its own planet and I want to be a permanent resident. The search for the essence of love has served as a catalyst for artists, writers, thinkers and scientists for centuries. Love, however, as Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel suggests, is ineffable. It cannot be pinned down; we cannot live without it. It informs our very existence. It is boundless. The best summation is Emily Dickinson’s timeless quote “All I know about love, is that love is all there is.� To love fully, to be open to life, to give gratitude has been my lifelong exploration as a painter. Mindy Weisel Jerusalem 2017
"To become aware of the ineffable is to part company with words....The tangent to the curve of human experience lies beyond the limits of language. The world of things we perceive is but a veil. Its flutter is music, its ornament science, but what it conceals is inscrutable. Its silence remains unbroken; no words can carry it away." "Awe is an intuition for the dignity of all things, a realization that things not only are what they are but also stand, however remotely, for something supreme. Awe is a sense for the transcendence, for the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things." Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel “G-d in Search of Man�, 1955
I start each work by writing directly on the paper or canvas. I write untilwords lose their meaning.I get to a point where only making marks with paint seems to make sense. I clear the way, inside myself, to where logic, reason and language no longer reign. The process of layer upon layer, expresses a search. It becomes a process in which I, literally, live through the painting emotionally. I have no preconceived concept; no intellectual armor; no image in mind when I start to work. One mark follows anotherand the paintings become layers of experience. The work becomes a place to hold the mysteries of m emory;loss; love; beautyand fantasymatched by a sense of wonder and awe. My parents survived Auschwitz. I was one of the first children born in the DP camp at BergenBelsen. As a result, I feel that the existential questions of life are ever present. Upon moving to Jerusalem five years ago, the search to understand these questions has taken on a new depth and breadth. The Jerusalem light and beauty are like no other. The s earch forlight, beautyand meaning drives each painting. Each painting becomes a promise of “something more”. Living and painting in Jerusalem fulfills my dream of expressing the survival of beauty.
Artist Statement
G-d’s Tears, Writing prior to painting
Winter in Jerusalem, 2017, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in. (91 x 91 cm)
G-d’s Tears, 2015, oil on canvas, 77 x 64 in. (195 x 162 cm) Permanent Collection of the Israel Museum
Unconditional, 2015, oil on canvas, 59 x 55 in. (150 x 140 cm)
Perfect Imperfections, 2015, oil on canvas, 64 x 77 in. (162 x 195 cm)
Gentle Suggestions, 2015, oil on canvas 67 x 47 in. (170 x 120 cm)
Not Everything is Black and White, 2017, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in. (91 x 91 cm)
Meditations on Love, 2017, oil on canvas, 87 x 40 in. (220 x 100 cm)
A Noble Storm, 2014-2016, oil on canvas, 59 x 67 in. (149 x 169 cm)
Of Silence, 2016, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in. (91 x 91 cm)
Like Layers of Ice, 2017, oil on canvas, 23 x 32 in. (58 x 81 cm)
After the Rain, 2017, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in. (91 x 91 cm)
Shoes and Souls Along the Danube, 2013-2017, oil on canvas, 30 x 16 in. (76 x 40 cm)
Amsterdam Night Canals,, 2016, oil, gouache, and oil stick on paper, 40 x 60 in. (100 x 150 cm)
Of Kings and Queens, 2014-2017,, oil on canvas, 87 x 40 in. (220 x 100 cm)
Breath (The Why of It), 2014, oil on canvas 59 x 67 in. (149 x 169 cm) Collection of Emily and Alfred Johnson San Francisco, CA USA
Lanetzach (Forever Young), 2016, oil on canvas 64 x 77 in. (162 x 195 cm) Collection of SaulUrban, LLC, Washington, DC USA
She Wore Red-He Wore Black, 2014, 7 watercolors on paper 13 x 10 in. (33 x 25 cm) ea.
Of Fine Jerusalem Days, 2016 series of 9 paintings watercolor and collage on handmade paper 12 x 12 in. (30 x 30 cm) ea.
Air Like Diamonds, 2014, watercolor on paper, 14 x 14 in. (35 x 35 cm)
Night Air at the Kinneret, 2014, watercolor on paper, 14 x 14 in. (35 x 35 cm)
Kiln formed fused glass, 2016-2017 Patterson House, Washington, DC Installation 16 x 16 in. (40 x 40 cm) ea.
Mindy Weisel Born: 1947, Bergen-Belsen, Germany Lives and works in Jerusalem, Israel and Washington, DC Education: 1965-74 1971 1977 1977-78
California State University, Los Angeles, CA Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, CA BFA. George Washington University, Washington, DC Post-Graduate work at American University, Washington, DC
Glass Education: 2005 Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, WA. Studied with Therman Statom. 2005 Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY 2005 Glass Studio - Kari Minnick. Silver Spring, MD
Crossover, Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv photo credit: Daniel Courtney
“Ovens” Permanent Collection of Yad Vashem
Solo Exhibitions 2014 - present CROSSOVER Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv 2013 “Not Neutral” (Works on Paper) Lorch & Seidel Galerie, Berlin, Germany 2013 NOT NEUTRAL Kreeger Museum, Washington, DC 2011-2012 Visiting Artist Exhibition (Paintings and Glass) Gensler Architects, Washington, DC 2010 Paintings & Glass: “AFTER: The Survival of Beauty” Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL 2009 “Full Circle” Lorch & Seidel Galerie, Berlin, Germany 2008 “Of Roses and Rasa” Prada Gallery, Washington, DC 2006 Glass Exhibition: “Words on a Journey” Katzen Art Center, Washington, DC 2004 “All That is Remembered” Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL “Twenty Five Years of Painting” Strand on Volta Gallery, Washington DC 2004 2003 “Nine Anniversaries in Blue” Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL 2002 “Translations” Troyer Gallery, Washington DC “Tikkun Ha’Olam: Meditations in Blue” Yale University, New Haven, CT 2002 2002 “Beauty as Consolation” Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 2001 “Ella the Muse” Lydon Fine arts, Chicago, Illinois 1999-2000 Mindy Weisel 1979-1999 Lydon Fine Arts, Chicago, Illinois 1999 “In The Presence Of Absence” Troyer Gallery, Washington D.C. 1997 “A Place For Memory” Troyer Fitzpatrick Lassman, Washington D.C. 1995 “Lili, Let’s Dance” Troyer Fitzpatrick Lassman, Washington D.C. 1993 “Touching Quiet” Jones Troyer Fitzpatrick, Washington D.C. 1992 “A Harmony Of Sorts” Jones Troyer Fitzpatrick, Washington D.C. 1990 “Night Of The Soul” Daniel Broder Gallery, New York
1989 1986 1985 1985 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1977
“Echoes”, Jones Troyer Fitzpatrick, Washington D.C. Selected Paintings, Baumgartner Gallery, Washington D.C. “Passions And Appearances”, Bertha Urdang Gallery, New York “Gypsy” Baumgartner Gallery, Washington D.C. “Layers Of Time” Elise Meyer, New York “Black Gifts” Baumgartner Gallery, Washington D.C. “Transitions” Paintings from 1979-1983 B’nai Brith Museum, Washington D.C. “Lili In Blue” Jack Rasmussen Gallery, Washington D.C. “Recent Paintings”, Jack Rasmussen Gallery, Washington D.C. “Paintings Of The Holocaust” Jack Rasmussen Gallery, Washington D.C. “Works On Paper”, Diane Brown Gallery, Washington D.C.
Group Exhibitions 2017. FRESH PAINT, Tel Aviv 2013 Cologne Paper Art Fair Cologne, Germany 2012 Art in Embassies Program American Embassy, Tel Aviv, Israel 2011 SOFO Chicago Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, Ilinois 2011 CROSSOVER: A Material Exchange (Presenter), Bullseye Glass Gallery, Portland, OR 2010 ART Chicago Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, Ilinois 2010 Paintings and Glass Lorch & Seidel Galerie, Berlin, Germany 2009 NATO Exhibition, Brussels, sponsored by U.S. Art in Embassies Program 2009 Paintings and Glass Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, Ilinois 2009 Art Chicago Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, Ilinois 2007 Alumni Exhibition, Katzen Art Center, American University, Washington, DC 2005 Pilchuck Glass School curator: Therman Statom, Stanwood, Washington 2005 SOFA Arts (glass exhibition),Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, IL 2005 Cover to Cover Maryland Federation of the Arts, Annapolis, Maryland 2003 SOFA Chicago (Paintings) Jean Albano Gallery, Chicago, Illinois 1999 Corcoran Hemicycle Exhibition Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. 1998 “Seven Artists” Robert Steele Gallery, New York 1998 “Celebrating Women in Space” NASA National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington D.C. 1998 “American Prints”, Addison Ripley Gallery, Washington D.C. 1996-1999 Art Train “Art in Celebration” Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service 1996-1998 “Witness & Legacy” National Traveling Exhibition (with book by Dr. Stephen Feinstein)
1995 1995 1994 1994 1992 1991 1989 1988 1988 1987 1985 1985 1985 1985 1984 1984 1982 1982 1981 1981 1979 1978 1979 1976
“Gifts to Israel Museum” Marian Goodman Gallery, New York “Burnt Whole” Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, Massachusetts “Burnt Whole” Washington Project for the Arts, Washington D.C. Hemicycle Exhibition Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. “Tactility” American University, Washington D.C. “Lou Stovall: Heroes, Teachers, Friends” Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington DC “Continuing Witness” B’nai Brith Klutznick Museum, Washington D.C. “The Artist’s Mother” National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. (catalogue) “Dennis O’Neil & Friends” Gallery K., Washington D.C. “Works on Paper” Jane Haslem Gallery, Washington D.C. “Works on Paper” Curators: D. Kuspit & C. McCabe, Rutgers University, NJ “The American Artist -- Immigrant Experience, 1930-1985” Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies, Philadelphia (catalogue) “Self Portraits” Jane Haslem Gallery, Washington D.C. “Spiritualism In Art” Cornell University, Ithaca, New York “Washington Watercolors” Corcoran Art Institute, Washington D.C. “Women In Expressionism” A.I.R. Gallery, New York “Jewish Themes/Contemporary American Artists” Jewish Museum, NY “Eight From Washington” Artemisia Gallery, Chicago, IL “Five Year Anniversary Exhibition” Gallery l0, Washington D.C. “Watercolors” Jack Rasmussen Gallery, Washington D.C. “Voices Of The Past” Paintings Goldman Fine Arts Gallery, Rockville, MD “Works On Paper” Gallery l0, Washington D.C. “Works On Paper” Gallery l0, Washington D.C. “Works On Paper” Diane Brown Gallery, Washington D.C.
Public Art 2011 2011 2009 2009
Gensler Architects, Washington, DC Herman Miller, Inc, Rockville, MD Perseus Realty, Washington, DC Redlands Project, Rockville, MD
Published Books 2003 Weisel, Mindy, The 7 Day Color Diet New Guide to Health and Beauty, Capital Books 2001 Weisel, Mindy, Daughters of Absence: Transforming a Legacy of Loss, Capital Books
2000 1982 1980
Weisel, Mindy, Touching Quiet: Reflections in Solitude, Capital Books Rand, Harry; Weisel, Mindy, The Beginning of Things, Dryad Press Weisel, Mindy, The Rainbow Diet, Simon and Schuster
Book Covers by Mindy Weisel 2000 Popov, Nikola; McHugh, Heather, Paul Celan: Glottal Stop, 101 Poems, Wesleyan University Press 2000 Jacobstein, Roy, Blue Numbers, Red Life, The North Carolina Writers Network 1995 Levi, Primo, The Reawakening, Simon and Schuster 1995 Levi, Primo, The Survival of Auschwitz, Simon and Schuster Selected Public Permanent Collections United States Embassy, Berlin, Germany Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C. Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. National Museum of American Art, Washington D.C. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, NY The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Stedman Art Gallery, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ Watkins Art Gallery, American University, Washington D.C. Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, Jerusalem, Israel Hill & Knowlton, Washington D.C. House of Representatives, Washington D.C. UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA Goulston & Storrs, Washington D.C. Arnold & Porter, Washington D.C. Coopers & Lybrand, Washington D.C. The Washington Post Company, Washington D.C. Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, Washington D.C. Arent Fox, Washington D.C. Akin Gump, Washington D.C. Oliver T. Carr Company, Washington D.C. Federal National Home Mortgage Corporation, Washington D.C. ATT Corporate Offices, VA Charles E. Smith Corporate Offices, VA Lerner Corporation, Rockville, MD Artery Corporation, Bethesda, MD
Group Health Insurance, Main Office, Washington D.C. Shaw Pittman, Washington D.C. Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem, Israel New York University Health Center, New York, NY American Dental Association, Washington D.C. Washington Convention Center, Washington D.C. Perseus Realty, Rockville, MD Fellowships & National Commissions 2012 Gottesman Etching Center, Kibbutz Cabri, Israel 2009 Gottesman Etching Center, Kibbutz Cabri, Israel 2008 Public Arts Commission: Glass Sculptures, Perseus Realty, Redlands Corporate Center, Rockville, MD 2008 Painting Fellowship to Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, VA 2005 Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington Painting Fellowship to Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, VA 2004 2001-present Smithsonian: Archives of American Artists 1997-1998 NASA Art Program Commission: “Celebrating Women in Space” 1995-present Art in Embassies Program, US State Department, works placed in American Embassies in Belgium, Israel and Egypt 1999-present Member, Women’s Forum of Washington Washington D.C 1996-1998 Board of Directors, Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, Washington D.C. 1993 Fellowship to Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem, Israel 1992 Fellowship to Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Sweet Briar, VA 1991 Serigraph “Flowers for a Country” commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute for their Resident Associates Program 1988 Artist-in-Residence, Haifa University, Haifa, Israel 1988 Painting commissioned by International Human Rights Law Group 1987 Amnesty International Poster Commission 1987 Washington Area Lawyers For The Arts Commission Awards and Nominations 2010 Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation Award in the Visual Arts, Virginia Center for Creative Arts 2008 Nominated for the Kreeger Museum Artist Award 1987 Nominated for Award in The Visual Arts 1986 The Rutgers National Works on Paper Award, Stedman Art Gallery
Lectures and Panel Discussions BECon 2011 Glass Conference, Portland, OR United States Embassy, Berlin German Universities and Art Organizations, Munich, Hamburg, Kiel, and Berlin Dachau Concentration Camp Educational Center, Germany Yale University, New Haven, CT American Embassy, Cairo, Egypt Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibitions Service, Washington D.C. The Jewish Museum, New York, NY United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C. American University, Washington D.C. Lehigh University, PA American Jewish Congress, Washington D.C. Haifa University, Israel Corcoran School of Art, Washington D.C. B’nai Brith Klutznick Museum, Washington D.C. Troyer Fitzpatrick Lassman Gallery, Washington D.C. Rockville Arts Place, Rockville, MD District of Columbia Jewish Community Center, Washington D.C. The Kreeger Museum, Washington D.C. Florida Holocaust Museum, St Petersburg, Florida The Jewish Museum, New York, New York United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington D.C. Strand on Volta Gallery, Washington D.C. Media 2013 2012 2010 2009 1997
JN1, Mindy Weisel: exhibition at the Kreeger Museum Glass For Art Jewish Women’s Archive, Interview with Deborah Ross US Embassy, Berlin, Mindy Weisel: Her life and her work. Interview with Elizabeth Corwin, Cultural Affairs Office CNN Impact (national and international). A 14-minute segment aired April 27, 1997.
At work in the Glass Studio
About the Artist
Mindy Weisel was born in the displaced persons camp at Bergen-Belson in 1947 to Auschwitz survivors. In 1950, her family immigrated to New York City, eventually settling in Los Angeles, CA. Weisel’s entire aesthetic perspective has been influenced by her search and expression of meaning and beauty. Mindy Weisel’s art has been exhibited internationally throughout the United States, Europe and Israel. Her work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums including the Israel Museum, National Museum of American Art, Smithsonian Institue and Yad Vashem. In 2001, Weisel was inducted into the Smithsonian Archives of American Artists. She is the author of several books and has contributed to numerous lectures and panel discussions on Art as Autobiography. Mindy Weisel is represented by Rosenbach Contemporary, Jerusalem. In 2012 the artist made Aliyah from Washington, DC to Jerusalem.
Acknowledgements One of the greatest gifts, soon after moving to Jerusalem, was meeting Uri Rosenbach. I immediately felt that my art and I were home. Uri, with his great courage and vision to establish a serious contemporary art gallery in Jerusalem, has become a dear, trusted friend and mentor and I am deeply grateful. Special thanks to Judy Greenberg, Director of the Kreeger Museum, Washington, DC, my dear friend of over forty years, who on her first trip to Israel, 2016, introduced me to Uri Rosenbach. Judy! Thank you. To Carolyn, Jessica, Ariane, Dave, Daniel, Ofer, Asher, Sammy, Lily, Lee, Ely and Nili: I trust you know what your cheering me on, while I work alone in my studio, means to me. You are my loving army. To my family, my dear friends,my teachers; my colleagues - I share my deepest thanks and love always. With special thanks to Zviya Beychok for all the outstanding assistance. To Shelly - For Shelly - everything. And for the gift of the Muse, gratitude to the Creator. Jerusalem 2014-2017
photo credits Elie Posner, Jerusalem John Woo, USA
16 King David St., Jerusalem (entrance on 2 Hess St.) www.rosenbach.co.il uri@rosenbach.co.il tel +972-507-516091