One collector: Stanley Batkin takes on history of Israeli art
THE JEWISH WEEK
By Jonathan Mark
NEW YORK---Stanley Batkin first visited Israel in the 1950s (and twice annually almost until his death at 101 last year), and compiled a unique collection of souvenirs, purchasing art from every major Israeli artist, dating back to the 1920s when the then-new Bezalel School of Art emerged as the Plymouth Rock of the new Zionist creativity. Batkin’s collection eventually found its way into the Israel Museum, the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, New York’s Jewish Museum and the Venice Biennale. Forty-eight pieces from Batkin’s collection will be exhibited at Kestenbaum & Company Dec. 11-13, or by appointment, prior to auction on Dec. 14 at the gallery, 242 W. 30th St., (212) 366-1197, Kestenbaum.net. [link]
By Jonathan Mark
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| Jakob Steinhardt's 1938 watercolor “Street in Jerusalem.” |
