MJCCA Presents the Art of Joseph Bau

The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), in partnership with the Joseph Bau Museum of Tel Aviv, presents the Joseph Bau Traveling Art Exhibition in the Katz Family Main Street Gallery, on view through December. The exhibition brings to Atlanta more than 40 signed works by the Israeli artist, animator, and master forger, Joseph Bau, including oil paintings, lithographs, and prints. This extraordinary exhibit is free and open to the public.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, Bau’s daughters, Clila and Hadasa Bau, co-directors of the Joseph Bau Museum, will present their father’s story at the 35th edition of the Book Festival of the MJCCA. The day begins at 10 a.m. with a screening of the feature film, “Bau, Artist at War,” and continues at 1:30 p.m. with a ticketed author talk, audience Q&A, and book signing centered on their father’s memoir. Throughout the day, the sisters will be on-site to sign books and personally guide visitors through the exhibition.

“Joseph Bau’s story is exactly the kind of history our community should encounter firsthand,” said Book Festival Co-Chair Debbie Kurzweil. “He turned artistic talent into an act of resistance and then spent the rest of his life creating joy. To have more than 40 of his original works on our walls, and to have his daughters here in person to walk visitors through them, is a rare gift. We are deeply grateful to the Morris Family Foundation for making this exhibition possible, and to El Al for helping bring Clila and Hadasa to Atlanta.”

The exhibition pairs oil paintings and lithographs that explore the Hebrew language and graphic art with interpretive storyboards tracing Bau’s life from prewar Poland through the Holocaust, his post-war career in Israel, and the founding of the Joseph Bau Museum. It has been made possible by generous support from the Morris Family Foundation.

“Every time we get to share our parents’ story in a new city, it feels like inviting people into our father’s studio all over again,” said Clila and Hadasa Bau. “Our father always believed humor and art were forms of resistance, and we’re honored to spend the day with the Atlanta community — signing books, touring the exhibition together, and showing them that even in the darkest years, our parents chose to create, to laugh, and to love.”

For tickets and information, please visit atlantajcc.org/bookfestival.