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YU News

Remembering Rembrandt

On Jan. 21, 2020, Yeshiva University Museum hosted an evening dedicated to exploring “Rembrandt’s Legacy.” The conversation, attended by over 200, was introduced by Dr. Jacob Wisse, director of the museum and associate professor of art history and was moderated by Straus Center director Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik. It featured a lecture by fascinating discussion about the life and art of Rembrandt between philanthropist Thomas Kaplan and Arthur Wheelock Jr., former curator of northern baroque paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and professor of art history at the University of Maryland, College Park. Kaplan is the owner of the Leiden Collection, one of the largest assemblages of Dutch art in the world. Following a captivating lecture by Rabbi Soloveichik on Rembrandt’s renditions of biblical characters, the panelists discussed the legacy of the beloved artist in commemoration of the 350th anniversary of his death. The program was part of the Straus Center’s offerings that bring into conversation Torah and Western art. As part of these efforts, Straus Center Resident Scholar Dr. Chaya Sima Koenigsberg is teaching a spring 2020 course at Stern College for Women on Illustrated Medieval Manuscripts that bridges art, Jewish history and the Bible. For more information on the Straus Center, and to view the course syllabi, please visit yu.edu/straus
(l-r): Thomas Kaplan, Dr. Meir Soloveichik, and Arthur Wheelock in discussion at the Leo and Julia Forchheimer Auditorium