The exhibition “Behold the Man: Jesus in Israeli Art” (22 Dec 2016 – 16 Apr 2017) explored the way in which Jewish and Israeli artists from the 19th century until today perceived the controversial figure of Jesus and were inspired by it. The Exhibition presented various interpretations of the figure of Jesus and its symbols. Many artists considered it as a bridge between Christianity and Judaism, and between the different tendencies of the human soul and the human body. The exhibition also put on display Joseph Budko’s work of art “The Wandering Jew and the Crucifix” from the Levin Collection, owned by the financial strategist Ofer Levin.
Watch the report by Israel Today News on the exhibition:
Joseph Budko (1888-1940) was born in Plonsk, Poland. He studied the art of print under Berlin-based Herman Struck in 1910, and later became a famed artist in the Jewish world. He illustrated the poetry of Bialik and Heine, The Book of Psalms, the Passover Haggadah etc. with woodcuts and etchings. Some of his key works explored the relationship between the elderly father (the Old Jew) and the young son (the New Jew).