Exhibitions

Orthodox Christianity traces its lineage to apostolic times. Constantine, the first Christian emperor of Rome, moved the capital of the empire to the ancient city of Byzantium, rededicating it as Constantinople in 330 A.D. In the sixth century Greek became the official language of the empire and the Church by imperial decree. The language of the New Testament became the language of "New Rome," replacing the Latin of "Old Rome" - a development to which Orthodoxy traces its enduring Greek heritage. Though having fallen in 1453 to the Ottoman Turks, Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, remains the heart of the Orthodox tradition. Objects on view, including icons, volumes of sacred scripture and a liturgical psalter in Greek, maps, and rare architectural portraits of Constantinople, testify to Orthodoxy's history, its unbroken line of ecclesiastical authority, its widespread cultural legacy, the transformation of its capitol city, and its ability to preserve itself as well as adapt itself to the most pressing religious, human, and ecological matters of the day.

Above: Tobi Kahn, Saphyr II, 2004

This exhibition brings together recent projects by New York City artist Tobi Kahn (chief among them Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun; Milwaukee, WI, 2008) within the context of sacred spaces conceived for the 21st century.

Inspired by the long-established and still vibrant African practice of creating art objects from recycled materials, Vickie Fremont, whose homeland is Cameroon, explores ways in which used but still inherently valuable objects, both natural and man-made, may be fashioned into creations of new beauty and value. In her new exhibition, Re..., composed of finely crafted puppets in human and bird forms, the artist brings elements of African imagination, creativity, and conservation sensibilities to light in her work in New York.

Above: Lucas van Leyden, The Return of the Prodigal Son, c. 1510

Scripture for the Eyes is the first major exhibition to explore the central role played by printed illustrations of subjects from both the Old and New Testaments in the Low Countries during the sixteenth century. Through approximately 80 engravings, woodcuts, and illustrated Bibles and books by masters such as Lucas van Leyden, Maarten van Heemskerck, Philips Galle, Hendrick Goltzius, and Hieronymus Wierix, biblical prints are shown to be a dynamic force in the transformation of Northern European art between Albrecht Dürer and Rembrandt van Rijn as well as in the intensified attention to scripture in the religious turmoil of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.

Above: Dean Ebben, Crescendo, 1997

Sacred scriptures, hymns, myths, holy personages, rituals and the religious traditions to which they belong are among the many influences inspiring artistic expression. Altered Religious Texts explores the ways in which artists use the very pages of inspiring texts as the "canvas" for their work.

Above: Promotional poster from Sweden for 1928's "Noah's Ark"

This exhibition probes the fascination the Bible has exerted over filmmakers as different and distinct as Cecil B. deMille, Mel Gibson, John Huston, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Martin Scorsese. The exhibition features 80 rare vintage movie posters reaching back to the dawn of film in 1898. A selection of original costumes worn by Hollywood screen stars is also on display together with related film ephemera. Visitors will be able to view an array of film clips from the movies the posters promoted. REEL RELIGION explores how filmmakers have mined the Bible for the edification and drama of religious narratives while at the same time exercising creative license to heighten themes of passion, violence, and intrigue.

Above: Marc Chagall, Samson Destroys the Temple

Marc Chagall holds a singular place in the canon of modern painters. Melding symbolic elements and iconographies from the traditions of Jewish Hasidism, eastern Orthodoxy and western Christianity, as well as incorporating motifs drawn from his Russian cultural roots and his fondness for France, Chagall created a dynamic and personally significant series of Bible-based images. Examining issues of historical context and evolving religious sensibilities, MOBIA's exhibition represents an important moment in the reappraisal and deepening understanding of the artist's intriguing and unique images of biblical heroes, prophets, and scenes of the crucifixion.

Above: "Not now, ever." Rolled and painted aluminum, 2008

Transfluence brings together familiar visual forms - paintings, drawings, and sculpture - to concentrate on a subject beyond our experience. Two- and three-dimensional images pose questions essential to an inquiry that crosses cultures, on the nature of grace. They appear to reference forms we know, yet when juxtaposed, intertwined, or fully melded with their opposites, each is not neutralized but intensified, and a new order is indicated. Is what we see corporeal or spiritual; actual or evanescent; beautiful or terrible; a whisper, a touch, or an irrestistible, consuming force? The effects of time and transformation are both implied and directly evident in the images, as external and inherent color and light change as we observe, and as figure and ground vie for dominance. We are unsure if the implied time is measured in milliseconds or millennia, or if the transformations will lead to successful outcomes or dead ends. The surface of each art work reflects its viewers, and it is our recognition and questioning of the elements present that create meaning, as a conscientious observation of natural forms will do. But are these natural forms, or are nature and our experience only the beginning? What will the inquiry do to us in terms of time and transformation, and what can we discover of grace, within and without?

Above: Albrecht Durer, Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

Born in 1471 in Nuremberg, Germany, Albrecht Dürer began his career immersed in a conventional naturalism found in the Low Countries. Although his artistic inheritance was rooted in Flemish late Gothic painting, he became profoundly influenced by the work of Italian contemporaries, and struggled to blend the Gothic traditions of the North with Italy's triumphs in mathematical perspective and color. Painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and art theorist, Durer was perhaps the only Northern artist to fully grasp the complex relationship between scientific theory and art in Italy.

Above: Christine Anderson, Crucifissione #21.

The Florence Portfolio, on display in MOBIA's Education Center, is composed of 20 etchings created in July 1993 by six contemporary artists exploring the theme of sacrifice in the Old and New Testaments. These images - probing, beautiful, and haunting - represent high achievement in the graphic arts and comprise a modern compliment to the masterful engravings in Albrecht Dürer: Art in Transition.

Above: Icon of Christ. Russian 16th Century. Tempera on Panel. Walters Art Museum

Much of the artistic legacy of the Middle Ages in Europe (ca. 500 to 1500 A.D.) was connected to religious practices and traditions. Yet art museums often present works of medieval art from an aesthetic point of view, neglecting to address the question of their original function in religious rituals. MOBIA's exhibition will present a selection of medieval works from the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, one of the largest and finest collections in the United States, interpreting these in the context of their use in Christian liturgical practices and personal devotion.

Above: Vincent Giordano, Untitled

Before the Flame Goes Out: The Romaniote Jews in Ioannina and New York. Giordano's photographs celebrate the legacy of the Romaniote Jewish community in Ioannina, Greece, and its sister synagogue on the lower East Side. The members of this community continue their traditional form of Judaism, which has persisted for 2300 years. In Giordano's compelling images, the Romaniote Jews in Greece and America demonstrate their faith today while looking forward to the future. *MOBIA is honored that Before the Flame Goes Out has been selected to participate in the City of New York's Immigrant Heritage Week from April 14-20, 2008.

Above: Benton-Return of the Prodigal Son-1939

The biblical story from Luke 15 of the loving father who forgives his wayward son has inspired artists through the centuries. MOBIA is proud to organize and present an exhibition dedicated to this theme, featuring works from the Renaissance to the present day. More than 50 prints, sculptures, and paintings by artists including Rembrandt, Pietro Testa and James Tissot will provide a wide-ranging overview of the impact this theme has had on the history of art. One section of the exhibition will be dedicated to the private collection of Jerry Evenrud, a musician and art enthusiast who has collected artworks depicting the Prodigal Son. Representative works featuring this story will also be lent by major European and American museums. Educational programs will include a lecture series discussing the impact of the parable on art, literature and theology, featuring Tobias Wolff, well-known author of This Boy's Life and other works and a lecture by Holly Flora, assistant professor of Art History at Tulane University and the exhibition curator.

Above: Barbara Wolff, Enclosed Garden 23.75K raised gilding and shell gold on goatskin parchment

Barbara Wolff is a New York artist whose work focuses on the natural world. Her artistic guides are the master illuminators of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, artists who used gold leaf to reflect brilliant flashes of light to enhance the effect of their illustrations. Not only does Wolff meticulously embellish her illuminations with gold leaf, but she paints them on parchment, a traditional material made from animal skin. She grinds minerals like azurite, malachite, and lapis lazuli into precious pigments to replicate the rich colors of those ancient images.

Above: He Qi, Losing Paradise, 2004. Ink and gouache on rice paper. 34 x 34 inches The Westminster Collection, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis

The Christian Story features the paintings of five contemporary Asian artists: Nalini Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka); Sawai Chinnawong (Thailand); Nyoman Darsane (Bali); He Qi (China); and Wisnu Sasongko (Indonesia). While largely influenced by regional artistic and cultural traditions, their work is also informed by Western artistic traditions due in large part to the fact that many of the artists have been exposed in varying degrees to images from the canon of Judeo-Christian art.

Above: Brian Hardy, Hello My Name Is, St. Aloysius Educational Clinic

The photographs in this exhibition were taken during the summer of 2006 by participants in the Museum of Biblical Art's day camp workshops. Children from summer programs at the Children's Aid Society and Recreation Center 59 West, among others, learned from professional photographers how to take pictures of details in the Museum's neighborhood that they might normally overlook.

Above: Ethiopian Pectoral Crosses, 19th Century. Courtesy The Walters Art Museum Baltimore.

Acquired largely since 1993, the collection of Ethiopian icons, manuscripts, and bronze processional crosses of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore is today one of the largest and finest collections outside of Ethiopia itself.

Above: Above: Kiki Smith. Processional Cross (detail), Sculpture, St. Peter's Lutheran Church, NYC, 1990s. Photo:Thomas Magno

Biblical Art in a Secular Century explores the work of 20th-century artists-household names like Marc Chagall, Kiki Smith, and Jeff Koons among them-who found the visual heritage, themes, and devotional practices of the Judeo-Christian tradition to be rich ground for creative exploration.

Above: Ezekiel's Vision of the New Temple (detail), Donald Jackson, © 2005 The Saint John's Bible and the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, St. John's University, Collegeville, Minnesota USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

MOBIA is proud to present a selection of folios from the Prophets books of The Saint John's Bible, a contemporary illuminated Bible produced using age-old scribal and illumination techniques. The Saint John's Bible was commissioned by Saint John's Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota and is being produced in Wales under the direction of Donald Jackson. To help viewers understand the tradition of bible-making that inspired the Saint John's project, the exhibition will also feature embellished books and individual leaves from the collections of the American Bible Society and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

Above: Larry Racioppo, Pizzeria Wall, 2005. Color print. Court Street, Brooklyn, NY. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist).

Racioppo's view of the city is informed in large part by his work as the official photographer for New York City's Department of Housing Preservation and Development. Because of his position, he has become familiar with and has unique access to the widely economically and ethnically diverse neighborhoods in upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx and has photographed instances of personal devotion in the unlikeliest of places and in a city which, many people in the U.S. feel, is almost entirely devoid of faith.

Above: Fiona Cabrera Gamarra, 13, Guatemala. Moses and the burning bush. © From the world wide competition "Children of the world Illustrate the Bible". MallMedia Publishing House www.bible2000.com

This selection of children's artwork comes from a much larger group commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. The thirty colorful images featured in MOBIA's Education Center were made with paint, pencil, crayon, ink, fabric, and even seashells. The artists come from all over the world, from Mexico to New Zealand to the Philippines.

Above: Georges Rouault, Crucifixion, nd. Aquatint, roulette, and drypoint over heliogravure © 2006 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ ADAGP, Paris. Collection of Robert and Sandra Bowden (Photo: Gina Fuentes Walker).

MOBIA's 2006 exhibition of French Expressionist Georges Rouault is a retrospective of this major artist's work, providing the public with the chance to view all 58 prints in the magnificent Miserere series. It is the first time that the series will be displayed in its totality, in New York City, in nearly 40 years. This 35-years-long artistic endeavor spanned two World Wars while grappling with faith, the suffering of Christ, and human cruelty. The brutal, contemporary images of the series'?"which are in part a reaction to the almost unimaginable destruction in France during World War I'?"become even more poignant when one realizes that by the time they were published the artist had lived through World War II as well, and witnessed the almost total transformation of Europe and of French society. Their ultimate message is a testament to Rouault's overriding belief in the redemptive power of suffering. Originally commissioned by Rouault's dealer, Ambroise Vollard, Miserere'?"although the plates were created between 1914 and 1927'?"was not printed until 1948, when Rouault gained control of the images after a prolonged court battle with Vollard's heirs. Of the 450 editions printed, only a limited number remain intact; the series to be shown at MOBIA comes to the Museum on loan from a generous collector.

Above: Early Samaritan lamp with a seven-branched menorah

Let There Be Light, on loan to MOBIA from the Bible Lands Museum Jerusalem, illuminates the many uses of palm-size clay oil lamps, a window on our ancient history. Simple and utilitarian in form, and often decorated with various symbols and motifs reflecting the cultures and religions of the people, these lamps were of great importance as the only source of light in homes and temples. This exhibition allows an intimate look at Jewish, Christian, Samaritan, and Islamic oil lamps that were vital for use in the daily lives and religious rituals in the Holy Land, tracing their development over three millennia.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the founding of the organization Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA), this juried exhibition looks at the work of contemporary artists who are addressing religious themes.

Above: Gospels in Armenian. Manuscript on paper. Lake Van region, 15th century.

Almost 200 hundred years ago, the American Bible Society established a biblical library that aimed to document the history of Bible translation and Bible publication. Through gifts and an ambitious acquisitions policy, the Library grew throughout the 19th century and today it constitutes one of the world's largest collections of printed Scriptures. The rare book section of the collection includes almost two thousand books and a few manuscripts. For Glory and for Beauty offers a broad overview of the collection, spanning more than five centuries. The exhibition highlights early editions of the Bible in its original languages, Hebrew and ancient Greek, as well as significant translations; it also documents the evolution of typography, the art of book illustration, and the beauty of rare bindings.

Above: Mary T. Smith, Hallelujah Lady, 1987. Paint on plywood. Collection of Dan and Kristi Cleary. (Photo: David Horan).

Featuring 95 works by 73 artists, Coming Home! explores how the Bible, in the context of evangelical Christianity, has influenced the subject matter, meaning and function of art made by Southern self-taught artists. "Coming Home" refers to God's kingdom-the New Jerusalem prophesied in the Bible-where Christians hope to live eternal life.

Above: Easter Egg, 20th Century. Bucovia. (Photo: © Museum of the Romanian Peasant, Bucharest).

A range of artworks and artifacts drawn from the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest brings a little-known chapter of Eastern European culture to the American public.

Above: Ellen Miret, Intersecting Lines of Redemption (detail), 2004. Computer generated graphic from glass tile in Witness series, 2003. (Photo: Gina Fuentes Walker).

Pairing works of art in a range of media by Ellen Miret, one of the nation's leading stained glass artists, with theological reflections by Hondi Duncan Brasco, Director of the Center for Spiritual Growth in Bronxville, New York, this exhibition is a dialogue between image and word.

Above: Dinga McCannon, Threads of the Past. (Photo: Gina Fuentes Walker).

This exhibition showcases more than 50 virtuoso examples of quilt making, all with Biblical themes.

Above: Hilario Mendivil, Our Lady of the Candelaria (detail), 1960. Paste, maguey wood, fabric and glue, sapolin enamel. Cuzco, Peru. (Photo: Gina Fuentes Walker).

Drawn from the collection of Ambassador Antonio Lulli, the exhibition includes over 50 retablos, santos, sculptures, textiles, and carved gourds.

Above: Saints Daria, Stephen and Pelagia (detail), late 19th century. Collection of Francesco Bigazzi. Oil on panel. (Photo: Anelli, Sfriso, and Skimoroh).

The exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Foundation of America, brings to the United States a remarkable collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century Russian icons.

Above: Artist unknown, Wheat and Grapes, 1930s. Collection Conrad Schmitt Studios. New Berlin, WI. (Photo: Conrad Schmitt Studios).

This exhibition profiles American stained glass in the 20th century, from the work of early studios to contemporary architects/stained glass designers.

Above: Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488), Bust of Christ, after 1483. Gessoed, painted, and gilded terra cotta. Florence, Italy. (Photo: Sandor Acs © 2001, American Bible Society).

This exhibition, featuring 115 works from the collection of Michael Hall, contributes to the dialogue on the reception, likeness, and archetype in the history of depicting Jesus and Mary.

Above: Gustave Doré (1832-1883), Woman Taken in Adultery (detail). (Photo: From the Doré Bible Gallery, New York: Fine Art Publishing Co., 1879, The Library at the American Bible Society).

In presenting the varying iconography of Mary Magdalene, this exhibition investigates her image as it reflects changing interpretations of woman as saint and sinner in Christian thought.

Above: Artist unknown, Deposition (detail), c. 1620-1640. Etching from a German prayer book. Collection of Sandra and Robert Bowden. (Photo: Wiseman Images).

The exhibition displays for the first time in a museum setting the private collection of contemporary artist Sandra Bowden, President of Christians in the Visual Arts (CIVA).

Above: Miguel Sacj 'Tai, San Miguel Arcángel (detail). Nahualá Region, Guatemala. (Photo: Forsythe/ Socolow Photography/ Parkyn).

The exhibition showcases contemporary Guatemalan folk art through an extraordinary collection of santos.

Above: Raphael Savignac, O.P., Haram esh-Sharif (Temple Mount), circa 1895-1900. Jerusalem. (Photo: © 1999, EBAF).

Drawing from the archive of the Ecole Biblique et Arch�ologique Français, this exhibition presents a selection of photographs taken of the Holy Land and the Near East at the turn of the 20th century.

Above: Watanabe Sadao, The Baptism of Christ, 1968. Collection of Anne H.H. Pyle. (Photo: Eduardo Calderón).

Drawn from the collection of Anne H.H. Pyle, Printing the Word presents more than 75 prints done by the artist Watanabe Sadao, one of Japan's foremost Christian artists.

Above: F. Kaseline, Jewish New Year Postcard (Passover scene) (detail), c. 1912. Printed in Germany. Collection of the American Jewish Historical Society, Massachusetts.

This exhibition presents a study collection of the history and categories of visual experience and religious practice in North America, from the colonial period to the present.

Above: Lika Tov, Beth El (detail), 1981. Mono-print. (Photo: Courtesy of the artist).

This exhibition of contemporary art argues that works employing biblical subjects and symbolism, although less visible within the overall artistic landscape than in other historic periods, continue to constitute a vital segment of art making.

Above: Ruth Anderson, Procesión del Rosario (detail), 1930. Black and white print. La Alberca, Spain. (Photo: © 2000, The Hispanic Society of America).

A joint project of the American Bible Society and The Hispanic Society of America, Images in Procession explores the rich and emotional religious life of Spanish Catholicism, particularly the fervent relation between the believer and sculpted images through a selection of photographs and polychromed statues.

Above: Installation shot of Roberts prints from the exhibition Jerusalem and the Holy Land Rediscovered.

The exhibition, on loan from the Duke University Museum of Art, comprises 124 tinted and watercolored lithographs produced by David Roberts, one of the first artists to travel extensively throughout the Holy Land (1839).

Above: The Surety of Sinners, 19th century. (Photo: Jon Crismen).

A selection from the Hollingsworth Collection, this exhibition illustrates the stylistic evolution of icons created in the Romanov period.

In this exhibition, Stations of the Cross, the series of bas-relief panels by contemporary artist Don Justin Meserve are displayed side by side with the engravings of the same subject by the English artist Eric Gill (1882-1940).

Above: Saint Catherine of Siena, 1964. New York, NY.

This contextual exhibition analyzes stained glass windows in light of the specific buildings and congregations for which they were created.

This exhibition documents the 182-year-long history of the Society in New York and its efforts in Bible research, translation, and distribution.

Above: Installation shot of the exhibition The Jerusalem Project.

The Jerusalem Project traces the evolution of the recent restoration of the Inner Dome of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem by California architect A.F. Normart, from the approval of the original design in August 1994 to the dedication in January 1997.