Josh Kornbluth in DC
On Wednesday, march 10 at 7:30 pm, Josh Kornbluth opens the world premiere of his new show ANDY WARHOL: GOOD FOR THE JEWS?, created with long-time collaborator, Director David Dower, at Theater J in association with Jonathan Reinis Productions. This comedic one-man-show is a penetrating take on ten Jewish luminaries as painted by Andy Warhol in his controversial 1980 series, Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century.
The original Warhol silkscreen prints that comprise Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century, depicting such notables as Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx brothers, Golda Meir and Sarah Bernhardt, will be on exhibit in The Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, located in the main lobby of the Washington DCJCC, from February 25 through May 2. The Gallery is open Sunday through Thursday 10:00 am–10:00 pm and Fridays 10:00 am–4:00 pm. Admission is free.
This limited engagement of ANDY WARHOL: GOOD FOR THE JEWS?, produced in association with Jonathan Reinis productions, runs March 6–March 21, 2010 at Theater J in the Washington DCJCC’s Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater. Performances on Saturday, March 6 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, March 7 at 3:00 pm are $30 previews. Performances on Sunday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 9 at 7:30 pm are pay-what-you-can previews. Press night is Wednesday, March 10 at 7:30 pm. A talk-back with the cast will follow the performance on Thursday, March 11. Tickets are available for $30-$55 at boxofficetickets.com or (800) 494-TIXS. Limited tickets for patrons 35 and under are half-price for all performances!
When Kornbluth first saw Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century exhibited at The Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco, he had a strong reaction to it, leading him to deface the exhibition catalogue. Kornbluth says “I put a Jewish beard and sidelocks and a yarmulke on him. I thought, if Warhol is going to Warholize the Jews, then I’m going to Jewify Warhol.” Far from being upset, the museum commissioned Kornbluth to create one of his irreverent monologues about his Warhol journey. Raised as an atheist by Marxist parents, Kornbluth decided to investigate his unease with the show by exploring its history, the subjects and their creator. In wrestling with Warhol’s motives and techniques, Kornbluth learned something about his own suppressed religious identity and the spiritual dimensions of Warhol’s art.
When Warhol created these prints in 1980, The New York Times noted that “Critics were appalled and denounced the series as crassly exploitative; audiences responded far more favorably.” Now thirty years later, the exhibition is returning to the nation’s capital. Looking back from a 30-year vantage point, Susan W. Morgenstein, who curated both the original and current exhibitions, says “This exhibit of Ten Portraits addresses several important questions: Why is Warhol and his work so popular today? How has our view of Ten Portraits changed since its first showing? And why do these images continue to intrigue viewers and provoke books, films, plays and major museum reconsiderations?” In the Gallery, patrons have an opportunity to go through an experience similar to Kornbluth’s, finding their own meaning in these works of art.
