Last weekend I went to see the exhibition From Dada to Surrealism in the Jewish Historical Museum in Amsterdam. It became a stimulating afternoon with beautiful paintings and an interesting documentary in a building with a history of its own. The museum is housed in a complex of buildings which used to be four separate synagogues. One of them, the New Synagogue can be visited as part of the museum. There the visitor can learn about Jewish religion, its customs and the history of the Jewish people in the Netherlands. In another part of the building temporary expositions can be viewed.

Since the beginning of June the museum presents the works of Jewish avant-garde painters from Romania. There the works of (amongst others) Tristan Tzara, H.M. Maxy and Victor Brauner can be admired. There are over seventy pieces on display from 1910 to 1938. Most works have never been shown in the Netherlands or even outside of Romania. In cooperation with the National Museum of Art Romania and the private collection of Vladimir Pana, the pieces are now gathered here in Amsterdam. Besides paintings there are posters, magazines and photos that cover the walls. At the end, when your feet are tired, you can take a seat and watch a short documentary about Dada and the people whose work you've just appreciated.

The artists who dominate the exhibit were of the experimental kind and they used new forms, styles and materials. Arthur Segal, the father of the movement, painted the frames of his pictures as well. This way the frame became a part of the painting as a whole. His neo-impressionist style forms the start of the avant-garde movement by Jewish Romanian artists in the twentieth century. You can see the influence of artists such as Vincent van Gogh in his work.

Woman Reading, 1920
Arthur Segal, The National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest.

Next is H.M. Maxy who creates colorful patterns and can be placed under the umbrella of constructivism. To me his paintings contain a little bit of Pablo Picasso's cubism as well. Maxy never left Romania unlike the others. After the Second World War he even starts to make social realistic paintings, embraces communism and leaves his wild and experimental years behind him.

Then you have Victor Brauner, a painter who was influenced by surrealism. His portraits depict heads without a body, the people he portrays have greyish skin tones, their faces are strange and their features are not in proportion.

To my beloved Saşa Pană, 1930
Victor Brauner, Collection Vladimir Pană
C/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2011

The last artist I will describe here is Marcel Janco. He didn’t experiment with new styles that much, but he was interested in trying out new forms and materials. To create some of the still lifes which are shown he used jute instead of canvas. He then poured plaster onto it and after it had dried-up he used paint to give his work some kind of shape and color. The result is a very abstract still life. Just a few lines and colors, no recognizable shapes. Let me put it this way, there isn't a fruit basket in sight. Besides paintings, Janco also created masks and costumes used for plays, performances and theater shows.

Mask für Firdusi, 1917-1918
Marcel Janco, Sylvio Perlstein Collection, Antwerp
C/o Pictoright Amsterdam 2011

These are just a few of the artists that can be viewed in the JHM right now until the 2nd of October. Many others also get their share of attention and some space on the wall. The exhibition tells their individual stories, their struggles, the innovative art they made, the history and development of the movement to which they belonged, the path they took later on in their lives and the influence they had on the next generation of Jewish artists.

Like I said in the introduction, it was a very interesting afternoon. I have seen some beautiful pieces and got to visit a synagogue as well. Sometimes I did miss a more elaborate explanation. There are several large information signs which are informative and provide some background information. The signs next to the paintings on the other hand are a bit limited in their descriptions. The audio tour only provides information on the synagogue and doesn’t include the exhibition. I think it can therefore be worthwhile to attend one of the lectures or guided tours which are offered. The exposition From Dada to Surrealism can be visited until the 2nd of October 2011.  (http://www.jhm.nl/actueel/tentoonstellingen/roemenie)

After you have sat down and watched the documentary do take the time to visit the synagogue. It is a nice place to walk around and offers a peaceful end of the day.