Worldwide Acclaim
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“In his dexterity Szyk recalls a bygone age of monastic scribes slaving over parchment pages. [His] illustrations are more intricate than Swiss watch works and sublimely obsessive. Reproductions hardly do the originals justice.”
— Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times
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“Arthur Szyk’s drawings are evidence of an exceptional mastery of crafts and of artistic inspiration.”
— Katja Widmann and Johannes Zechner, Curators, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin, 2008
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“To call Arthur Szyk the greatest illuminator since the sixteenth century is no flattery. It is the simple truth which becomes manifest to any person who studies his work with the care which it deserves.”
— Cecil Roth, Historian, London, 1940s
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“[Szyk] makes not only cartoons, but beautiful composed pictures which suggest, in their curiously decorative quality, the inspired illuminations of the early religious manuscripts.”
— Thomas Craven, Art Critic, New York, 1940s
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News & Events
Press Coverage
The worldwide press is actively covering every aspect of Arthur Szyk, The Szyk Haggadah, and more.
“When Words Fail: The Power Of An Image To Advance An Idea”
by Benjamin Wolff
Forbes
July 9, 2018
Contributor Benjamin Wolff argues that images can evoke emotions more powerfully than words, by looking back to Szyk's legacy as example.
“WorldJewish Congress Video on The Szyk Haggadah”
WorldJewish Congress
March 29, 2018
WorldJewish Congress presents a video on how Szyk's Haggadah differs from all others.
“Donald Kuspit on Arthur Szyk”
by Donald Kuspit
Artforum
February 2018
Leading American art critic Donald Kuspit reviews Szyk's work in Artforum magazine for the February 2018 print issue.
“Arthur Szyk: A Jewish-American Soldier in Art”
by David Geffen
The Jerusalem Report
November 21, 2017
Rabbi David Geffen highlights the exhibition, "Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art," in the Culture Report.
“Goings on about Town: 'Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art'”
The New Yorker
October 23, 2017
The New Yorker recommends the "Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art" exhibition in the Art section of "Goings on about Town."
“Jewish Heroes and Nazi Monsters”
by J. Hoberman
Tablet Magazine
October 16, 2017
Hoberman makes a case for Arthur Szyk as "a singular figure in 20th-century art" in this review of the "Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art" exhibition and book.
“Soldier in Art: Exploring the Activist Works of Arthur Szyk”
by Aron Hirt-Manheimer
Reform Judaism
October 13, 2017
A review of "Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art," highlighting how Szyk "used his drawing board to battle fascism, anti-Semitism, racism, and injustice during the Holocaust and beyond."
“The World of Arthur Szyk”
by Daniel Witkin
The Jewish Daily Forward
September 26, 2017
An examination of Szyk's artistic range and eclectic background on display at New-York Historical Society's "Arthur Szyk: Soldier in Art" exhibition.
“Campus receives $10.1M gift to acquire art of renowned Polish Jewish artist”
by Christine Lee
The Daily Californian
April 5, 2017
The article explores how Tad Taube's generous gift to UC Berkeley and The Magnes makes Arthur Szyk's work even more accessible to students and researchers for generations to come.
“Berkeley receives local’s prestigious art collection: Political artist’s work acquired through Peninsula residents’ dedication, generosity”
by Austin Walsh
The Daily Journal
April 11, 2017
Irvin Ungar is interviewed about his 20-year journey of assembling The Arthur Szyk Collection, and the collection's transition to its new home at UC Berkeley.
“The Almost-Forgotten Jewish Artist Who Propagandized Against Hitler”
by Steven Heller
The Atlantic
May 29, 2014
Irvin Ungar is interviewed in this essay which discusses the social and political embeddedness of Szyk's art.
“‘Holocaust’ Haggadah’s Cynical Illustrations Still Bite”
by Renee Ghert-Zand
The Times of Israel
April 15, 2014
Irvin Ungar and Paul and Sheri Robbins are interviewed in this piece highlighting the creation of Szyk’s Haggadah and the Contemporary Jewish Museum's exhibition of all 48 of its original paintings.
“7 Coolest Haggadahs for Your Passover Seder”
by Michael Kaplan
The Jewish Daily Forward
April 9, 2014
Featuring the world’s most valuable, old, and revolutionary Haggadahs, Szyk’s Haggadah holds the space of being the world’s most beautiful.
“The Most Beautiful Haggadah in the Room”
by Joel Schechter
The Jewish Daily Forward
April 5, 2014
Focusing on the creation of Szyk’s Haggadah and its original art’s being exhibited at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, this publication contains three links to other worthy articles about Arthur Szyk.
“Arthur Szyk and the Art of The Haggadah”
by Nancy Ewart
Examiner.com
January 6, 2014
An article about Arthur Szyk’s life, and the Contemporary Jewish Museums’s exhibition of his Haggadah’s original paintings for the first time in over 60 years.
“Arthur Szyk’s Haggadah and Singapore’s Sunken Arab Treasure”
by Eve M. Kahn
The New York Times
March 10, 2011
Article on the new Abrams' edition of The Szyk Haggadah. “Mr. Ungar has orchestrated a new, annotated edition of the Szyk Haggadah, on paper rather than vellum, and meant for use around Passover dinner tables.”
“The Szyk Haggadah”
by Barry Walfish
The Halcyon: The Newsletter of the Friends of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library
June 2012
Article on the new deluxe edition of The Szyk Haggadah upon its acquisition by the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto: “All in all, the Haggadah is a feast for the eye, a marvel to behold.” (Scroll to page six to read article.)
“Collectible Cards: The Playing Card Art of Arthur Szyk”
by Zelda Shluker
Hadassah Magazine
February 2012
Purim article on the newest Historicana publication. “[The cards] extol great leaders in Jewish history…All are handsome, somber and bejeweled, wearing crowns or headdresses.”
“Arthur Szyk (pronounced schick)”
Imprint, the online community of Print Magazine
February 11, 2012
In this edition of The Daily Heller, Heller introduces Historicana's latest publication, the Heroes of Ancient Israel: The Playing Card Art of Arthur Szyk Deluxe Limited Edition Box Set. “...Since [the Haggadah’s] publication [Irvin Ungar] has consistently produced ever more rare and remarkable material.”
“Haggadot: Yesterday's Telling for Today”
by Zelda Shluker
Hadassah Magazine
April 2011
Roundup of newly published Haggadot, including the Abrams' edition of The Szyk Haggadah. “People who drooled over the luxury limited edition of The Szyk Haggadah produced by Historicana in 2008 take heart.”
“Arthur Szyk’s diverse world”
by Janos Gereben
The San Francisco Examiner
January 5, 2011
Great review of the new Arthur Szyk exhibition at the Legion of Honor: “[It] is more than an art display. It is like a stroll down historical lanes.”
“The Pen That Satirized the Sword”
by Joel Schechter
The Arty Semite, blog of The Jewish Daily Forward
January 4, 2011
Review of the Szyk exhibition at the Legion of Honor: “Many of Szyk’s miniatures include fascinating details that delight on close examination, which explains why the museum loans magnifying glasses to gallery guests.”
“Arthur Szyk: beauty in fairy tale... and Stalin”
by Caitlin Donohue
The San Francisco Bay Guardian
December 20, 2010
Review of the Szyk exhibition at the Legion of Honor: “The man's drawings are pure, extravagant beauts....You should be witness to all this.”
“Brush with greatness: Mastery of artist Arthur Szyk on display at S.F. museum”
by Dan Pine
j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California
December 16, 2010
Cover story on the Szyk exhibition at the Legion of Honor: “While Szyk considered himself a partisan for all humanity, his special affinity for the Jewish people never wavered. That passion makes its way into the new exhibition, with works portraying the Holocaust, Israel and biblical scenes.”
“Illuminating Arthur Szyk: An Interview with Irvin Ungar”
Voice: AIGA Journal of Design
November 24, 2010
Extended interview with Irvin Ungar about his work to restore artist Arthur Szyk to international fame.
“Arthur Szyk: A New Exhibit of the Great Illuminator”
by Richard Z. Chesnoff
The Huffington Post
April 12, 2010
Preview of Broome Street Gallery exhibition in New York. "The great illuminator is more than worthy of a major retrospective of his works in New York at MOMA and/or The Jewish Museum. The time has come!"
“To Serve My People, Part I”
by Richard McBee
The Jewish Press
March 12, 2010
First installment of a two-part review of the art, history, and politics of The Szyk Haggadah, by painter and writer McBee.
“To Serve My People, Part II”
by Richard McBee
The Jewish Press
March 17, 2010
Second installment of a two-part review of The Szyk Haggadah.
“A Controversial Twist on the ‘Four Sons’”
by Rafael Medoff
The Jewish Exponent (Philadelphia)
March 18, 2010
In this feature article, the director of the David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies offers his thoughts on a 1945 Passover advertisement with a modern take on the “Four Sons” of the Haggadah.
“Arthur Szyk and His Books of Esther”
by Irvin Ungar
Hadassah Magazine
February/March 2010
For the Purim issue of Hadassah Magazine, Irvin compares and contrasts two striking images from Arthur Szyk's two interpretations of the story of Esther.
“An Artist for All Seasons”
by Mordechai Beck
The Jerusalem Report
January 18, 2010
Beck reviews Freedom Illuminated: Understanding The Szyk Haggadah. “Szyk's illustrations still [have] significance for the contemporary world; perhaps even more so than when [The Haggadah] was first published.”
“New Life for Arthur Szyk”
by A.J. Goldmann
The Jewish Daily Forward
April 20, 2009
Goldmann reviews the Szyk exhibitions at the Deutsches Historisches Museum and The Broome Street Gallery: “[Szyk] fought the National Socialist regime and the Axis powers with all the venom his pen and brush could muster.”
“A Newly Available Companion to The Szyk Haggadah”
by Jennifer Breger
Washington Jewish Week
April 2, 2009
Breger reviews Freedom Illuminated: Understanding The Szyk Haggadah: “Szyk’s life and career were dedicated to the ideals of freedom and justice and his passion comes through in his art.”
“Soldier with a Paintbrush”
by Toby Axelrod
Hadassah Magazine
October 2008
Axelrod reviews the Deutsches Historisches Museum exhibition: “[The] dramatic events and themes of the first half of the 20th century unfold through Szyk’s eyes.”
“Berlin Art”
by J.S. Marcus
The Wall Street Journal
December 12, 2008
Marcus reviews the Deutsches Historisches Museum exhibition: “[Szyk’s] vision…recalled the late-Gothic woodcuts of Cranach and the vivid colors of medieval illuminated manuscripts.”
“A Caricaturist, but No Funny Stuff Here”
by Michael Kimmelman
The New York Times
September 8, 2008
Kimmelman reviews the Deutsches Historisches Museum exhibition: “Illustrations like ‘Fortress Europe,’ ‘Wagner,’ and ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ are more intricate than Swiss watch works and sublimely obsessive.”
“The Passover Story, Illuminated”
by Gabrielle Birkner
The New York Sun
April 18, 2008
Birkner reviews the new edition of The Szyk Haggadah: “The multifaceted and intricately detailed images allude to David and Goliath, and depict Moses with a bodybuilder’s physique.”
“Szyk Haggadah Goes High-Tech”
by Sandee Brawarsky
The New York Jewish Week
April 16, 2008
Brawarsky reviews the new edition of The Szyk Haggadah: “Historicana is publishing a new limited edition of The Szyk Haggadah, the first to be printed in the United States, and the first digitally produced volume.”
“Drawing on Experience”
by Tom Tugend
The Jerusalem Post
April 11, 2008
Tugend reviews the new edition of The Szyk Haggadah: “Szyk was a Jew, a Pole, an American, and always an artist, whose brilliant paintings and cartoons could give new life to ancient traditions or eviscerate a Hitler or Mussolini.”
“Szyk Transit”
Print Magazine
February 2008
Heller describes the production of the new edition of The Szyk Haggadah: “Almost everything [Szyk] did—even his illustrations for fairy tales—were imbued with appeals for universal social justice.”
“The Szyk Haggadah”
by Rollin Milroy
Amphora Journal
October 2007
Milroy describes the production of the new edition of The Szyk Haggadah: “A new deluxe edition of the illuminated Haggadah created by Arthur Szyk…will be the most faithful reproduction of the original artwork ever achieved.”
