supporters
Stanley Saitowitz: Judaica was organized by The Contemporary Jewish Museum and made possible by an anonymous gift.
Koret and Taube Foundations are the lead sponsors of The Contemporary Jewish Museum's 2012–13 exhibition season.
Nov 3, 2011–Sep 8, 2013
Stanley Saitowitz: Judaica combines The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s ongoing commitment to presenting new perspectives on Jewish tradition with its dedication to working with contemporary artists, like Saitowitz, whose vision enables us to find fresh ways to examine and appreciate Jewish culture and ritual. The San Francisco-based architect has designed private residences, institutions, and public and commercial spaces. The objects on view range from those associated with daily ritual, such as the mezuzah, to more festival-specific objects, such as the etrog box used during the harvest festival of Sukkoth. Rendered in metal and inspired by the architect’s commitment to a modernist aesthetic, this collection is characterized by the clean lines, rational proportions, and smooth, unembellished surfaces that also define Saitowitz’s architecture.
Stanley Saitowitz was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and received his BA in Architecture at the University of Witwatersrand in 1974 and his MA in Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley in 1977. He is a Professor of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley and Principal of Natoma Architects Inc. in San Francisco. He has taught at numerous schools, including the Elliot Noyes Professor, Harvard University GSD (1991-92), the Bruce Goff Professor, University of Norman, Oklahoma (1993), UCLA, Rice, SCIARC, Cornell, Syracuse, and University of Texas at Austin. He has given more than 200 public lectures in the US and abroad. His first house was built in 1975, and together with Stanley Saitowitz/Natoma Architects Inc., has completed numerous buildings and projects. These have been residential, commercial and institutional. He has designed houses, housing, master plans, offices, museums, libraries, wineries, synagogues, churches, commercial and residential interiors, memorials, urban landscapes, and promenades. These projects have received national and international recognition. Amongst many awards, the Transvaal House was declared a National Monument by the Monuments Council in South Africa in 1997, the New England Holocaust Memorial received the Henry Bacon Medal in 1998, and in 2006 he was a finalist for the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Award given by Laura Bush at the White House. Three books have been published on his work, and articles have appeared in many magazines and newspapers. His paintings, drawings and models have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums.
Stanley Saitowitz: Judaica was organized by The Contemporary Jewish Museum and made possible by an anonymous gift.
Koret and Taube Foundations are the lead sponsors of The Contemporary Jewish Museum's 2012–13 exhibition season.
Header image: Stanley Saitowitz, Etrog Box, 2011, nickel and resin, 3.5 x 5.5 inches. Artist rendering. Fabrication by Dupliform Casting Company. Courtesy of the artist.