Press Release for Pièces de Résistance: Echoes of Judaea Capta From Ancient Coins to Modern Art

PRESS RELEASE

Media contact: Lisa Davis | 510-643-2526 | lisa.davis@berkeley.edu

The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life at UC Berkeley presents Pièces de Résistance: Echoes of Judaea Capta From Ancient Coins to Modern Art

On View August 28–December 14, 2018 at The Magnes

BERKELEY—Notions of resistance, alongside fears and realities of oppression, resound throughout Jewish history. As a minority, Jews express their political aspirations, ideals of heroism, and yearnings of retaliation and redemption in their rituals, art, and everyday life.

Centering on coins in The Magnes Collection, this exhibition explores how the Jewish revolts against Hellenism and the Roman occupation of Palestine (Judaea Capta) echo from antiquity into the present.

Pièces de Résistance highlights a variety of collection items ranging from ancient coins and their replicas, to ritual objects for Purim and Hanukkah. It also prominently features art by Marc Chagall, Lazar Krestin, and Arthur Szyk that offer a modern visual representation of Jewish might in the face of persecution.

Visiting The Magnes
2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94720-6300. Gallery hours: Tuesdays–Fridays, 11:00 am–4:00 pm, August 28-December 14, 2018.

Tickets
All programs, events, and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Exhibition Organization
This exhibition is organized by The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life. Presenting Sponsors: the Helzel Family Foundation, the Magnes Museum Foundation, The Magnes Leadership Circle, and The Office of the Chancellor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Exhibition Team
Curators: Francesco Spagnolo, Shir Gal Kochavi, Zoe Lewin
Graduate Curator (Judaea Capta materials): Rebecca Levitan (History of Art)
Contributor: Yael Chaver (German and Jewish Studies)
Registrars: Julie Franklin and Rebecca Hisiger
Preparator: Ernest Jolly
Marketing and Publicity: Lisa Davis
Design: Gordon Chun Design

Social Media
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#magnes | #themagnes | #PiecesdeResistance

About The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, UC Berkeley
The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life was established in 2010 following the transfer of the Judah L. Magnes Museum to the University of California, Berkeley. Its remarkably diverse archive, library, and museum holdings include art, objects, texts, music, and historical documents about the Jews in the Global Diaspora and the American West. As one of the world’s preeminent Jewish collections in a university setting, it provides highly innovative and accessible resources to both researchers the general public.