July 7 | 11am – 4pm
Not only is admission free, but it is also the opening of our summer exhibitions Chim: Between Devastation and Resurrection and The Magic World of Leonora Carrington.
Free First Sunday is a program made possible by the generous support of Randy Katz and Peter Wigmore, the Leonard and Lois Schnitzer Supporting Foundation of OJCF, the Jerry and Helen Stern Grandchildren’s Fund of OJCF, Neighbors West-Northwest, and the Jackson Foundation.
Chim: Between Devastation and Resurrection presents the work of distinguished photojournalist Dawid Szymin (“Chim”) 1911 – 1956. Born in Warsaw, Chim published under the name David Seymour. His keen observations of 20th century European politics, social life, and culture, documented the beginnings of the antifascist struggle to the rebuilding of countries ravaged by the war. The exhibition includes over 50 photographs, many rarely seen, focusing on the post-war reconstruction of Europe, the effect of the war on children, European elections, and the birth of the State of Israel. Chim: Between Devastation and Resurrection is on loan from the Illinois Holocaust Museum. The original exhibition was excerpted from We Went Back: Photographs from Europe 1933-1956 by Chim, organized by the International Center of Photography and made possible by the John and Anna Maria Phillips Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts. OJMCHE gratefully acknowledges the Arnold and Augusta Newman Photography Fund of OJMCHE for supporting the exhibition.
The Magic World of Leonora Carrington explores themes of metamorphosis, magic, and religious allegory. She populates her compositions with hybrid creatures; human figures fused with mythical and imagined beasts suggest a confrontation between the material world and the world of dreams. Leonora Carrington, 1917 – 2011, was among the early European surrealists, and was a pioneer in her century-spanning explorations of the subconscious and her portrayal of imagery related to mystical experience. The exhibition features works from the collection of Mixografia Print Studio and Gallery, LA. OJMCHE gratefully acknowledges the Craig E. Wollner Fund of OJMCHE for supporting the exhibition.