Many know Andy Warhol for his trendy pop art. His Campbell’s soup cans brought the advertising and art worlds together. His use of Marilyn Monroe’s image stood out as iconic. But he created many portraits. In particular, a series titled Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.
A Warhol Design
Andy Warhol was a famous artist popular in the early 1960’s to 1980’s. He began his career as an ad illustrator and became a leading artist. Warhol received praise for his early work and was considered a pivotal figure in pop art.
However, when he published his Ten Portraits of Jews in 1980, he received an overwhelming amount of criticism. Critics felt there was a lack of interest and connection with his subjects. Which may have very well been true.
The idea for this collection came from Warhol’s art dealer, Ronald Feldman. It was not born out of Warhol’s creativity. Susan Morganstein, the art gallery director of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington, chose the men and women for Warhol to highlight.
But Warhol’s lack of connection with his subjects did not deter from the collection’s popularity. Ten Portraits of Jews has been exhibited throughout the United States and Europe for the past 40 years. It honors the incredible achievements of the Jewish community and their great success.
Warhol’s apathy about the subjects of his work was dispelled when he dubbed the series “Jewish Geniuses”.
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a German novelist and short-story writer best known for his works Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle. Kafka has been credited with inspiring many writers of his time, coining the term, “Kafkaesque”. He is considered one of the major figures of 20th-century literature.
Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein is an American novelist, poet, playwright, and art collector. Born in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania she moved to Paris in 1908 to live permanently. She then opened her own salon which hosted great writers like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ezra Pound.
She’s most known for her work, The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, written in the voice of Stein’s life partner. Her other famous works included novels, plays, and short stories known for their very humorous tone and style. Stein was completely different from other writers of her time.
Martin Buber
Martin Buber was an Austrian, Jewish, and Israeli philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue. His form of existentialism was centered around consciousness, religion, modernity, and ethics.
Although Buber came from an observant Jewish family, he broke typical customs to study philosophy. Buber also wrote the famous essay, “I and Thou” which focuses on a person’s relationship with existence.
Buber was nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature ten times. Additionally, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize seven times.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. His formula is still considered “the world’s most famous equation”.
Einstein provided a pivotal step in quantum theory creating the foundations for modern physics. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics and later moved to the U.S where he sparked the creation of nuclear weapons.
Louis Brandeis
Louis Brandeis was born in Lewisville, Kentucky to his parents who were Jewish immigrants from now the Czech Republic. He became a famous lawyer and Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.
He is best known for his incredible success while attending Harvard Law School. He graduated at the age of 20 with one of the highest-grade point averages in the school’s history.
As a lawyer, most of Brandeis’ cases were pro-bono. He did this so he could focus on important issues in the Jewish community. Economist Magazine called him “Robin Hood of the Law”.
George Gershwin
George Gershwin was a composer, pianist, and painter. His melodies have delighted the public since the early 1900’s. Many of his compositions are still used in television and film today.
Gershwin is most known for his opera, Porgy & Bess. First considered a failure, it grew to become one of the most important American operas of the 20th century. His other famous compositions included Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris.
Marx Brothers
The Marx Brothers, also known as, Groucho, Chico, Harpo and Zeppo, started their careers in Vaudeville. Later they became stars in films such as Duck Soup, Animal Crackers, and Monkey Business.
The Marx Brothers were celebrated for their clever and humorous attacks on society and social norms.
Golda Meir
Golda Meir was the 4th Prime Minister of Israel, serving as the first and only woman to hold the office. She was known as the “Iron Lady” of Israeli politics due to her strong will and no-nonsense attitude.
Meir was an activist and member of Habonim, the Labor Zionist Youth Movement. She was also a prominent member of the Women’s Labor Council.
During World War I, Meir became a powerful spokesperson for the Zionist party. She worked for the release of many detained Jewish activists.
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a famous actress known for her roles in popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
She began her career during the Belle Epoque period. A time in which there was an abundance of artistic and cultural development. She appeared in several of the earliest films ever made.
Bernhardt had several theatrical tours around the world. She was often praised for her pose and gestures which allowed her to portray both male and female roles.
Sarah Bernhardt was the first prominent actresses to act in motion pictures. She was one of Hollywood’s first movie stars.
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud was the father of psychoanalysis. He put into practice a clinical method for treating psychopathology. His methodology included an extensive dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.
Freud worked as a doctor in his early career and then became a prominent professor in Vienna. It was during this time that he started his own clinical practice. His many theories have contributed to the field of psychology including the importance of the subconscious mind.
For information about where to find this collection of portraits or more artwork by Andy Warhol, please contact Dane Fine Art.