Jewish Museum (New York) - History

History

The collection that seeded the museum began with a gift of 26 Jewish ceremonial art objects from Judge Mayer Sulzberger to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America on January 20, 1904, where it was housed in the seminary's library. The collection was moved in 1931, with the Seminary, to 122nd and Broadway and set aside in a room entitled 'The Museum of Jewish Ceremonial Objects'. The collection was subsequently expanded by major donations from Hadji Ephraim Benguiat and Harry G. Friedman.

In January 1944, Frieda Schiff Warburg, widow of philanthropist Felix M. Warburg (d.1937), donated the family mansion as a permanent home for the museum, and the site opened to the public as 'The Jewish Museum' in May 1947. The building was expanded in 1963 and by architect Kevin Roche in 1993.

In the 1960s, the museum took a more active role in the general world of contemporary art, with exhibitions like Primary Structures, which helped to launch the Minimalist art movement. In the decades since, the museum has had a renewed focused on Jewish culture and Jewish artists. In 1992, the Jewish Museum and the Film Society of Lincoln Center teamed up to create The New York Jewish Film Festival, which presents narrative features, short films and documentaries.

Today, the museum also provides educational programs for adults and families, sponsoring concerts, films, symposia and lectures related to its exhibitions. Joan Rosenbaum has been the museum's director since 1981.