Objects of the Spirit: Ritual and the Art of Tobi Kahn

Rating:
Summary: Jewish Cermonial Art
Review: Objects of the Spirit: Ritual and the Art of Tobi Kahn by Emily D. Bilski, Meditations by Nessa Rapoport, Essays by Leora Auslander, Terrence E. Dempsey, S.J., Tom L. Freudenhelm, Jonathan Rosen, and Ruth Weisberg (Hudson Hills Press) 133 illustrations, 113 in full color Exceptional sense of spare and stark design makes the objects pictured in this book an example of stunning design.

Objects of the Spirit presents a unique collection of Jewish ceremonial objects created by the internationally renowned artist Tobi Kahn. In addition to crafting singular, functional pieces in bronze and wood, Kahn has created large-scale public works, communal spaces that are sites for spiritual contemplation-all beautifully illustrated in this publication.
Both Kahn's public spaces and his private devotional objects embody
the rise of spirituality in America and the desire for ritual in everyday life. The essays offer a wide range of insightful interpretations that address the universal, ecumenical need for ritual and spirituality, as well as the art historical and cultural references in Kahn's work.
This landmark title is published in conjunction with a traveling exhibition of Tobi Kahn's art, organized by the Avoda Institute, New York.
Leora Ausander is professor of modern European history, material culture, and gender studies at the University of Chicago.
Emiy D. Bilski is an independent scholar and curator specializing in nineteenth- and twentieth-century European art, cultural history, and contemporary art.
Terrence E. Dempsey, S.J., is a Jesuit priest, professor of art history and theology at Saint Louis University, and founding director of the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, Saint Louis (MOCRA).
Tom L. Freudenheim has been director of the Gilbert Collection, London, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Baltimore Museum of Art, as well as deputy director of the Jüdisches Museum, Berlin, and assistant secretary for museums at the Smithsonian Institution.
Nessa Rapport is a novelist and poet. Her most recent book is House on the River: A Summer Journey.
Jonathan Rosen is an author and editor whose essays have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, and The American Scholar, among other journals and anthologies.
Ruth Weisberg is dean of fine arts, University of Southern California, as well as an artist and critic.


Rating:
Summary: Objects of the Spirit: Tobi Kahn... BRILLIANT!!
Review: This magnificent volume captures the style and spirit of this original master artist in an area that is clearly dear to his heart. The descriptions of his work by Nessa Rapoport are a perfect poetic accompaniment that makes for a seamlessly rich reading and esthetic experience. It belongs in every home that loves art and Judaism.
A masterpiece!
R. Davis, New York