Full Description
The volume and accompanying exhibition discuss the creation of sacred space in the 21st century, examining 28 works by Tobi Kahn including his recent commission for Congregation Emau-El B'ne Jeshrun in Milwaukee. Each work is accompanied by a Meditation by novelist and poet Nessa Rapoport. From large canvasses with biomorphic forms to three-dimensional pieces such as the art nouveau-influenced thrones, Kahn's work has a presence that is immediately striking, and his reputation has grown steadily since his inclusion in the Guggenheim's New Horizons in American Art show in 1985. Much of Kahn's art, especially his landscapes, is ambiguously abstract, inviting the viewer to project onto it their own ideas, feelings and desires. Acting as aids to contemplation, they can be seen as building on the work of Romantic artists who sought to capture the majesty of nature and imbue it with divine resonance.
Contents
Foreword; Acknowledgments; The Meaning of Beauty by Tobi Kahn; The Art of Engagement: Sacred Spaces Past & Present by Ena G. Heller; The Embrace of the World: Art and the Matter of Worship by David Morgan; The Ethos of Tobi Kahn's Sacred Spaces by Klaus Ottman; The Measure of an Infinite Object by Jeff Edwards; Sanctity in Space by Daniel Sperber; Catalogue with Songs by Nessa Rapoport; Biography; Checklist; About the Contributors.
