Derfner Judaica Museum + The Art Collection will host an illustrated talk by celebrated artist Mark Podwal on the occasion of the publication of the first monograph on his work, Reimagined: 45 Years of Jewish Art. The talk will take place on Monday, May 15, at 2:30 p.m. in the Biederman Library at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, 5901 Palisade Avenue, in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx. This event is free and open to the public. Please R.S.V.P. to 718.581.1596 or [email protected]. Photo I.D. required for entrance.

Mark Podwal is world renowned for his innovative ink drawings and paintings of the Jewish experience. Initially known for his drawings for The New York Times Op-Ed page, he is the illustrator of numerous books in collaboration with such luminaries such as Elie Wiesel, Harold Bloom and Francine Prose.

Reimagined: 45 Years of Jewish Art is a massive collection and first monograph of this famed and prolific artist, who has connected with art lovers from New York, Prague, Israel and many places in between. In this extended collection, the reader encounters the diverse array of works that represent and span Podwal’s illustrious career; from the whimsical, such as Matzoh Moon and Talmud Typewriter, to the political, such as Munich Massacre and Annexing Arab Anger, to the religious, which includes Passover Haggadah illustrations and textile designs from the world’s most historic synagogues. Luxuriously produced with 3 gate-folds, metallic ink, a transparent protective jacket, blue edging and spanning 45 years of intensive work, this collection of Podwal’s oeuvre contains more than 350 gorgeously reproduced artworks that imaginatively illuminate Jewish legend, history and tradition. Reimagined includes a foreword by Mr. Wiesel, a preface by Cynthia Ozick and an essay by Elisheva Carlebach.

About the Artist
Mark Podwal is a celebrated artist whose work is represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Israel Museum, the Jewish Museum in Prague, the Bodleian Library, the Library of Congress and many others. While attending New York University School of Medicine, the tumultuous events of the 1960s compelled Podwal to create a series of political drawings that were published as his first book The Decline and Fall of the American Empire. In 1996, the French government named Podwal an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters. Beyond his works on paper, Podwal’s artistry has been employed in an array of diverse projects including the design of a series of decorative plates for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His artwork has been engraved on a Congressional Gold Medal and embroidered on tapestries that adorn the Old-New Synagogue in Prague.