Collections
Museum
The Museum holdings of the Magnes encompass two main areas: Jewish Art and Jewish Life.
The Jewish Art collection includes painting and sculpture, photography, works on paper and artist books, as well as digital and mixed media.
The Jewish Life collection includes thousands of objects representing personal and family rituals, synagogue and communal life, and the social interactions among Jewish and host communities in the Global Jewish Diaspora throughout history.
Jewish Art
The Jewish Art holdings of the Magnes include representational and abstract works of art primarily from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The holdings include an extensive collection of works by Arthur Szyk and Roman Vishniac.
![Manuscript [67.1.6.23] : Mizrach (Southern Germany, 18th cent.)](https://magnes.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/HanukkahLamp_734x496.jpg)
Jewish Life
The Magnes Collection is a unique source of primary evidence about Jewish life in the Global Diaspora. Objects included here serve as testaments to the intersection of the material and spiritual dimensions of the Jewish experience.
DATABASE
MAVEN
Explore our new online catalog for improved access to one of the world’s preeminent collections of Jewish material culture and a digital gateway to global Jewish heritage.
The Magnes is a living collection that grows and evolves with future acquisitions. If you have an object for possible donation, please fill out the Object Donation Proposal form.
Due to the volume of proposals we receive, we are not be able to respond to every submission. If your proposal is of interest, a member of the Magnes’s collections team will contact you directly.
The Magnes does not accept unsolicited donations either by mail or delivered in person. The museum is not responsible for returning or caring for any unsolicited donations and may be disposed of at the sole discretion of the Magnes and its staff.