November 2017: 7th Annual Litvak Days in London Conference on The Litvak Impact on the Arts

Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th November

7th Annual Litvak Days in London Conference on The Litvak Impact on the Arts

The Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in London, University College London (UCL), Southampton University and the Parkes Institute, with the support of The Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies, are delighted to present this year’s 7th annual Litvak Days in London conference, dedicated to celebrating and exploring the impact of Lithuanian Jews and their diaspora on the arts throughout the world.

In modern times Jews have contributed markedly to the traditional fine arts of painting and sculpture music, photography, prose and poetry, theatre and architecture. Lithuanian Jewry, in many respects, made extraordinary contributions to a plethora of diverse fields of creative endeavour. We will examine the vibrant manifestations of Lithuanian Jewish talent and imagination in the context of its complicated history and legacy. The exceptional musician Yasha Heifetz, the painter Chaim Soutine, the sculptor Jacques Lipschitz, the artist Judy Chicago, and the photographer Alter Kacyzne, to name but a few, emerged from the fertile field of Lithuanian art into world art. And we begin our celebration with a performance by the noted Klezmer singer and musician Michael Alpert.

When and where:

Day 1: 18:30 – 20:30 at Haldane Room, University College London, Wilkins Building, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT

Day 2: 10:00 – 17:00 at Embassy of The Republic Of Lithuania,

2 Bessborough Gardens, London SW1V 2JE

Registration and tickets at Eventbrite:

Day 1 http://tinyurl.com/ybzagk9r

Day 2  http://tinyurl.com/y9khmw56

 

 

* Photograph: A group of students of the Academy of Fine Arts in Vilna. Far left is Michel Kikoine, wearing the student uniform” from “Biographical Encyclopaedia of the 20th Century Lithuanian Jewry Litvaks”, edited by Virgilijus Liauška and published by Musmirė, Vilnius, 2009, with their kind permission.