Abshalom Jac Lahav .48 JEWS

 

Jewish Museum Installation back

a selection from the series "48 Jews" curated by Daniel Belasco and Joanna Montoya. February - August, 2008

Jewish Museum Installation, Jewish Portraiture by Abshalom Jac Lahav

 

48 Jews (2007), examines the representation of Jews in the Diaspora. Using a playful wit and critical acumen, Lahav gathers images from contemporary media sources and selects them for their iconic quality. The uniform size, composition, and subject of the paintings in 48 Jews suggest a canon, Warhol’s Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century (1980) or Gerhard Richter's 48 Portraits (1972). Lahav, however, continually repaints, adds, and discards individuals, preventing closure or completeness. The individuality of each subject is affirmed with Lahav’s stylistic inconsistency, challenging their status as members of a coherent group and engaging the debate over the facts and myths of Jewish identity.

(from the Jewish Museum Press Release 2008)