13 Sep 2023
Chana Orloff: A Modern Woman Sculptor in Paris
Paris, France
The École des modernités
At the Institut Giacometti
Paula J. Birnbaum is Professor of Art History and Museum Studies Program and the Ann Getty Endowed Chair at the University of San Francisco. Her research focuses on modern and contemporary art in relation to gender and sexuality, as well as institutional and social politics. She is the author of 'Chana Orloff: Between Paris and Tel Aviv' (2023), 'Women Artists in Interwar France: Framing Femininities' (2011, 2016), 'Essays on Women’s Artistic and Cultural Contributions 1919-1945' and many articles and book chapters. Recent essays appear in 'Suzanne Valadon: un monde à soi' (Centre Pompidou – Metz, 2023); 'Pionnières, artistes femmes des années folles' (Paris, Musée du Luxembourg, 2022); 'Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy and the Avant-Garde' (London: Prestel, 2019). She is presently collaborating with the Musée Zadkine in Paris on an exhibition of Chana Orloff’s work, opening in November 2023.
Paula J. Birnbaum
A major figure in the modern movement that took shape in Paris in the early 20th century, Orloff contributed to the canon of modern art alongside Picasso, Modigliani and Chagall. But little is known about her destiny. Determined and ambitious, Orloff fled antisemitism in Ukraine, emigrated with her family to Palestine, then moved to Paris to work in haute couture before becoming an internationally acclaimed artist. Against a backdrop of revolution, world wars, a global pandemic and forced migration, her sculptures embody themes of gender, displacement, exile and belonging.
Wednesday 13 September 2023 at 6:30pm
At the Giacometti Lab or live on YouTube
Lecture in English by Paula J. Birnbaum
Videos