The Leonard Baskin prints on the second floor portray significant biblical figures, including Jacob, our forefather to whom we owe our very name, Beit Elohim. Stephanie and Stephen Alpert donated these four large artist’s & shop proofs of Jacob (color lithograph, 1975-76, artist’s proof), Noah (color lithograph, 1975, shop proof), Rachel (1976, lithograph, shop proof) and Judith (1975, color lithograph, artist’s proof). The significance of a proof is that the print would have been the personal property of the artist.
About the artist
Leonard Baskin (1922–2000) was a Jewish American artist and one of the universal artists of the 20th century. The son of a rabbi, he was a writer and illustrator of books ranging from the bible to children’s stories and natural history. He was a talented water-colourist and a prolific print-maker. Baskin’s sculpture, watercolors, and prints are in the permanent collections of major art galleries and museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, the Vatican Museum, the Smithsonian Institute, and the Tate Gallery in London. Baskin won many awards, including the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Arts and Letters, the Special Medal of Merit of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and the Gold Medal of the National Academy of Design. [Adapted from the biography on the Jewish Virtual Library.]
Story of Judith
Rabbi Vanessa Harper tells the story of Judith and shares an accompanying Chanukah latke recipe that you likely haven’t seen before!
