The Center for Jewish History to Host Day-Long Roman Vishniac Symposium, 10/25

The recent discovery of nearly 10,000 previously unpublished negatives by renowned photographer Roman Vishniac has revealed a far more versatile, innovative and creative artist than previously thought.

A day-long symposium will feature a wide range of internationally celebrated scholars, curators, museum directors and cultural critics reevaluating Vishniac's radically diverse body of work that spans the 1920s through the 1970s.

This symposium is organized in conjunction with the publication of "Roman Vishniac Rediscovered" (ICP/DelMonico Books/Prestel). The book, edited by Maya Benton, includes 475 images and essays by 23 world-renowned scholars, introducing six decades of the photographer's work for the first time.

"Roman Vishniac Rediscovered: A Symposium" is presented by the Center for Jewish History in partnership with the International Center of Photography and is supported by the American Jewish Historical Society, Leo Baeck Institute, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, The David Berg Foundation, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, Joyce B. Linker and the Andrew and Marina Lewin Family Foundation.

For more information about the symposium, including a complete list of speakers, visit www.cjh.org/Vishniac.

To explore the ICP exhibition and to see a broader selection of Vishniac's recently discovered work, online go to vishniac.icp.org/exhibition-sections.

Tickets: Free; reservations required at rsvp@cjh.org. The Center for Jewish History is located at 15 West 16th Street, New York City.

The Center for Jewish History in New York City illuminates history, culture, and heritage. The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

The partners' archives comprise the world's largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span 700 years, with more than 5 miles of archival documents (in dozens of languages and alphabet systems), more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, and photographs.

The Center's experts are leaders in unlocking archival material for a wide audience through the latest practices in digitization, library science, and public education. As one of the world's foremost research institutions, the Center offers fellowships, a wide array of exhibitions, symposia, conferences and lectures. The Center is a Smithsonian Affiliate, and is a partner of the Google Cultural Institute.

The Center for Jewish History is home to the Lillian Goldman Reading Room, Ackman & Ziff Family Genealogy Institute, The David Berg Rare Book Room and The Collection Management & Conservation Wing. Public programs create opportunities for diverse audiences to explore the rich historical and cultural material that lives within the Center's walls.

Pictured: [Willy Lefkowitz and Martin Gru?npeter constructing a foundry, Werkdorp Nieuwesluis, Wieringermeer, the Netherlands], ca. 1938. (c) Mara Vishniac Kohn, courtesy International Center of Photography.