Art Gallery

REMEMBERING THE SCHTETL - by Chaim Goldberg

The Artists' Space at the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, NY hosted an Opening Reception on May 1st to celebrate "Remembering the Schtetl", an exhibit of original works including water colors, lithographs and engravings by well-known Jewish painter and sculptor Chaim Goldberg (1917-2004). Born in the village of Kazimierz Dolny in Poland, Goldberg's art of the old world (of the schtetl) is expressed in his own unique style best described as a blend of impressionism and the School of Paris. His art chronicles the old world of Eastern Europe, its colorful characters and rich Jewish traditions. He leaves a record of the Jewish people in Poland that is more extensive and more loving than any other 2th century artist.

The son of a poor village cobbler, at age 7 he began creating drawings of village characters using shoe paste and pencils from his father's shop. When he was 14, a traveler purchased the paintings and drawings that were displayed in his father's cobbler shop and showed them to Mare Chagall in Paris. Chagall purchased 52 pieces and invited Goldberg to visit his studio. The pieces remain as part of the Chagall estate. His work survives in major collections, including that of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the National Gallery of Art, National Collection of Art and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and major museums throughout Poland, Switzerland, Germany and Israel.

Over 30 works of art, including lithographs, engravings and watercolors depicting the daily lives and toils of common people living in the schtetl will be on exhibit and available for purchase during the months of May and June.

The museum and The Artists' Space on the second floor will be open 10am to 4pm Monday through Friday. Visitors are welcomed 7 days a week.

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