R.B. Kitaj (1932-2007) is one of the most intriguing 20th century artists. Kitaj left behind a manuscript unmatched among 20th-century artist autobiographies -- Confessions of an Old Jewish Painter. Eloquently describing his vices and sufferings, it stands in the traditions of both St. Augustine and Thomas de Quincey.

The definitive collection of the artist's graphic works in a beautifully produced volume.

An artist declares his credo on art and life

Since the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps and recognition of the Holocaust as a watershed event of the twentieth century, if not in Western Civilization itself, the capacity of art to represent this event adequately has been questioned. As it analyzes a cross section of Holocaust art within the context of art history, Absence / Presence addresses the discussion head on and explores the interchange between media and horror. The book's contributors include case studies from a broad spectrum of artists in North America, Europe, and Israel to examine some of the more dominant themes in these artists' work. In addition to standard readings of Holocaust art, the essays help illuminate the issues of eugenics; the importance of art for Hitler and the Nazis; the immense pilfering of art that occurred during World War II; and the length and degree of the destruction of European Jewry, which forced artists to reinvent their work through their own fate. This selection of essays also provides alternative views to more typical readings on the Holocaust, specifically, to the story of the Shoah as a relevant art subject, and to those "who ha[ve] a right to create art about the Holocaust." These issues were the subject of an intense international debate based on an exhibition at New York's Jewish Museum titled Mirroring Evil. The retrospective brought to art a series of contemporary perspectives that represented both the outer edges as well as mainstream postmodern thinking concerning representations of the Holocaust. This book, which covers the art from the late I 980s through 2002, includes the work of an array of scholars, curators, and artists from many co11nlries. It will be of great interest to art historians, Jewish scholars, and anyone interested in learning more about the art and artists of the Holocaust.

Ronald Brooks Kitaj (1932-2007), born in Ohio (USA), was one of the most important artists Unpacking My Library2in London's art scene of the 1960s. He was a fervent reader and book collector and his colourful and sometimes provocative paintings contain many political, philosophical and literary references. Kitaj's Jewish identity played an important role in his life and work. Bringing together paintings from collections around the world and a series of screen prints of book covers that Kitaj made in 1969-70 with the master printer Chris Prater, the exhibition Unpacking My Library offers a fascinating insight into Kitaj's unique Jewish, bibliophile sensibility. The series In Our Time: Covers for a Small Library After the Life for the Most Part reflects the humour and irony with which Kitaj questioned the role of spirituality and morals in the modern age. The exhibition takes place in the print room.00Exhibition: Joods Historisch Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (20.03.-12.07.2015).

In examining the visual culture of the "classic" African and Jewish diasporas, contributors address different aspects of the multiple viewpoints inherent in diasporic cultures.