Gallery displays Chanukah art of Brooklyn Heights sculptor Gary Rosenthal
Daphne art gallery displays Judaica art
of Heights sculptor Gary Rosenthal
Just in time for Chanukah (also spelled Hanukkah), one can find a beautiful collection of Judaica at Daphne Art Gallery, 154 Montague St., in Brooklyn Heights. Gary Rosenthal, a widely-travelled metal sculptor who recently became a Heights resident, joined forces with Daphne Gallery owner Muhsin Kenis to exhibit the Judaica — a collection of menorot, dreidels and mezuzot — through mid-December. Chanukah begins at sundown on Saturday, Dec. 8.
Menorot, dreidels and mezuzot are the plural form for the words menorah, dreidel and mezuzah, sacred artifacts of Judaism and its holy days. Other examples of Judaica, which make wonderful gifts, are the goblets used at weddings and at Passover. Menorot hold the eight candles that are lit, one a day, throughout Chanukah. Dreidels are also a spinning toy popular around Chanukah, and are played in a variety of games. Mezuzot, filled with a miniature Torah scroll inscribed with a blessing, are placed at a slant on the doorposts of Jewish homes for protection.
Rosenthal’s Judaica highlights the exhibit of Chanukah through mixed metals and fused glass. The Judaica will be on view and for sale at the gallery through Dec. 16 (a Sunday, and the eighth day of this festival of dedication.
During a “Meet the Artist” reception last Sunday, Rosenthal and Kenis together told the story behind this exhibit. Gary lives in the neighborhood. B “After we bought our apartment, I went around the neighborhood. I was looking for a place to buy Judaica. I couldn’t find a single place in all of Brooklyn Heights to get Judaica. (menorot, prayer books, etc). I saw this gallery one Monday morning, and I went to Mushin — the owner—and said, ‘I make Judaica, and I think the neighborhood would like to have some Judaica. Would you like to do a show?’ He said,
‘Sure.’ That’s how it worked out. It was really a very nice combination, and he was very open to the possibility.” Rosenthal added, “Rosenthal said, “I want to create a piece of art that also had a Jewish purpose. And I wanted to make Judaica that was a piece of art.” So it’s a double goal.”
Gallery owner Muhsin Kenis has been at 154 Montague St. for 9 years, since 2003. His second-floor location is immediately adjacent to a storefront that was, for some 35 years, home to Summa Gallery. Kenis is also a craftsman who designs and makes frames. Speaking of Rosenthal, he said, “We have a creative link to each other. This is probably what brought us together at the same time. I was very impressed when he first came in with a couple of samples — with the quality and design of his work.”
Kenis selected pieces new to the Gary Rosenthal Collection (published via catalog) such as menorot inspired by on-trend colors and an oil menorah—a first for the artist. Rosenthal is known for contemporary Judaica, which he has designed and handcrafted for over 30 years with a team of a dozen artisans in his Maryland studio.
Explaining why he designed a menorah to accommodate oil, Rosenthal said: “An oil menorah reproduces the 168 B.C.E. miracle most closely. That’s when a day’s worth of oil burned for an astonishing eight days.” The miniature oil menorah in the exhibit is enhanced with a dreidel design laser-cut from steel.” The gallery is also showing a classical menorah in designer colors– ‘Spring Green,’ ‘Sea Breeze,’ ‘Morning Sky’ and ‘Golden Gelt.’ [Gelt is Yiddish for money]. Rosenthal achieved the look of a sunrise by combining a half circle of glass mosaic with arcs of steel, embellished with brass and copper.
One of the artisans who contributed his skill to a particular line of mezuzot helps set it apart. This craftsman is one of two autistic employees on staff in Rosenthal’s Maryland studio. He enjoys and excels in weaving the copper strips that other artisans then fabricate to finish the sign of faith that Jews install on doorposts. “With all of my work, I really feel as if the tension and spirit that goes into making it, it’s important. The fact that John and Tim work on this We make a whole collection of works and mementos for Jewish weddings, such as the goblets that people step on. John does my lustering. He’s probably been part of over 10,000 weddings over the past 10 years.”
Chanukah means “dedication,” noted Rosenthal who admits to feeling blessed for having made functional art that’s beautiful all these years. “I look forward to meeting collectors and answering questions about my work and inspiration, most often based on biblical stories,” he said.
Gallery exhibit hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Mondays.
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