People go to their houses of worship to pray, to celebrate, to mourn.  At Congregation B’nai Israel in Millburn, there’s the added attraction of the opportunity to bask in the beauty of important modern art.  Abstract Expressionist Robert Motherwell’s painting”The Wall of the Temple” returns to B’nai Israel after an absence of two and a half years.  A welcome home party, with a dedication of the mural, reception, and activities for children, is planned for Saturday, Jan. 28 at 6:30 p.m.  The public is invited.    Karen Levitov, Associate Director of the Jewish Museum, will  speak about  the painting and its significance.

When the work was first created, says Levitov, it was “written up in major art magazines and publications.  It brought art to a different community; it was a way to put modern art into another framework, in 1951.  Now, more than 50 years later, it’s being brought into that light again.”  Motherwell was getting his start when the mural was originally commissioned. Levitov called it a “major piece, one of his largest and most important works.”  He was the only artist of the three commissioned who was not Jewish. Continue Reading