Exhibition of works by Humanist Artist Jacob Landau opens at

Scott Knauer
sknauer@monmouth.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Scott Knauer, 732-923-4786
Exhibition of works by Humanist Artist
Jacob Landau opens at Monmouth University
Event:
Justice For All: An Exhibit of Selected Works by Jacob Landau
Dates:
April 20-24, 2015
Reception:
Thursday, April 21, 2015 at 4:30 p.m.
Landau Talk: Thursday, April 23, 2015 at 4:30 p.m.
Where:
Library Seminar Room (102), Monmouth University, 400 Cedar Avenue,
West Long Branch, NJ
Contact:
Scott Knauer, Director of Galleries and Collections, 732-923-4786
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ (February 14, 2014) — Monmouth University Galleries
opens an exhibition of works exploring the theme of justice by American artist, humanist,
and teacher Jacob Landau in the Monmouth University Library, Seminar Room (104), on
April 21, 2015 at 4:30 p.m. And on Thursday, April 23 at 4:30 p.m. Ms. Hettie V.
Williams, Lecturer, African American History at Monmouth University, will give a talk
entitled “John Brown in American History,” providing an illuminating perspective on
Landau’s exhibited lithograph, “I, John Brown.”
Born in Philadelphia in 1917, Jacob Landau launched his career as an illustrator, winning
national prizes at age 16 and a scholarship to the Philadelphia College of Art. He had
over sixty one-person shows and was the recipient of many awards, including Tiffany,
Guggenheim and National Arts Council grants. Many of his works are featured in
permanent collections in the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of
Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others. A master teacher, he
retired as professor emeritus at New York’s Pratt Institute. In 1996, he was awarded an
honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts by Monmouth University.
Landau, who died in 2001, won praise for his “humanist” art, which often explored the
theme of justice, according to The Jacob Landau Institute president David Herrstrom. A
life-long advocate for civil rights, his was a loud voice against racial and ethnic
oppression. In an iconic painting he did in the 60’s entitled “Credo,” for example, he
depicts a hanged man with hands bound and a ragged sign across his chest stating: “I
wanted to be considered an adult eager to think. … I wanted to be able to express my
thoughts without Fear.”
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Scott Knauer
sknauer@monmouth.edu
Landau was acutely aware that “without justice, the law is repression.” Something he
learned from the ancient Hebrew prophets, the “idea tradition” he claimed as his own.
Growing up during the Great Depression and profoundly affected by the Holocaust,
Landau grappled with humanity’s cruelty to each other. Provocative and disturbing,
challenging and seductive, his works, a number of which he called “parables or
meditations on the human use of human beings,” bear witness to these injustices and
attempt to uphold our moral accountability for these actions.
The exhibition features a selection of 12 pieces. All works are from Monmouth
University’s extensive collection of Jacob Landau’s work, comprising over 300 prints,
drawings and paintings. The collection was gifted to Monmouth University in 2008 by
the Jacob Landau Institute of Roosevelt, NJ. This exhibit is co-sponsored by the Jewish
Culture Studies Program and the Honors School of Monmouth University.
Justice For All: An Exhibit of Selected Works by Jacob Landau will be on view from
April 20 – April 24 in the Library Seminar Room. All events are free & open to the
public. Docent tours are available (for times, contact Professor Susan Douglass 732-2635509; sdouglas@monmouth.edu). For additional information on the exhibition and other
gallery events on the West Long Branch campus of Monmouth University, please contact
call 732-263-5712 or visit www.monmouth.edu/arts.
About Monmouth University
Monmouth University is a leading private institution that offers a comprehensive array of
undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The University provides students with a
highly personalized education that builds the knowledge and confidence of tomorrow’s
leaders. Located in West Long Branch, New Jersey, Monmouth University’s magnificent
and historic campus is approximately one hour from both New York City and
Philadelphia and is within walking distance of the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean.
Monmouth University is listed in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best
Colleges” and the Princeton Review’s The Best 377 Colleges, and is recognized by the
latter as one of the country’s top “green” colleges. To learn more, visit us at
www.monmouth.edu.
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