Rachel Wischnitzer
Encyclopedia
Rachel Bernstein Wischnitzer (German: Rahel Wischnitzer-Bernstein), (April 14, 1885 - November 20, 1989) was an architect
and art historian.
, in Czarist Russia
, Wischnitzer studied at University of Heidelberg and graduated from the École Spéciale d'Architecture
in Paris in 1907 where she was one of the first women to receive a degree in architecture. She earned a master's degree from New York University
in 1944.
Before fleeing Nazi Germany
, Wischnitzer was curator of the Jewish Museum Berlin
, art editor of the Yiddish magazines Rimon and Milgroym (both 1922-1924), and art and architecture editor of the Encyclopaedia Judaica
. She was one of the most important Jewish art critics of the century. Wischnitzer immigrated to the United States in 1940. She was made a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research. She was a professor at Stern College for Women
of Yeshiva University
from 1956 until she retired in 1968.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and art historian.
Biography
Born in MinskMinsk
- Ecological situation :The ecological situation is monitored by Republican Center of Radioactive and Environmental Control .During 2003–2008 the overall weight of contaminants increased from 186,000 to 247,400 tons. The change of gas as industrial fuel to mazut for financial reasons has worsened...
, in Czarist Russia
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, Wischnitzer studied at University of Heidelberg and graduated from the École Spéciale d'Architecture
École Spéciale d'Architecture
The École Spéciale d'Architecture is a private school for architecture at 254, boulevard Raspail in Paris, France.The school was founded in 1865 by engineer Emile Trélat as reaction against the educational monopoly of Beaux-Arts architecture...
in Paris in 1907 where she was one of the first women to receive a degree in architecture. She earned a master's degree from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1944.
Before fleeing Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, Wischnitzer was curator of the Jewish Museum Berlin
Jewish Museum Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin , in Berlin, Germany, covers two millennia of German Jewish history. It consists of two buildings. One is the old Kollegienhaus, a former courthouse, built in the 18th century. The other, a new addition specifically built for the museum, designed by world-renowned architect...
, art editor of the Yiddish magazines Rimon and Milgroym (both 1922-1924), and art and architecture editor of the Encyclopaedia Judaica
Encyclopaedia Judaica
The Encyclopaedia Judaica is a 26-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people and their faith, Judaism. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, language, scripture, and religious teachings...
. She was one of the most important Jewish art critics of the century. Wischnitzer immigrated to the United States in 1940. She was made a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research. She was a professor at Stern College for Women
Stern College for Women
Stern College for Women is the undergraduate women's college of arts and sciences at Yeshiva University. It is located at Yeshiva University's Israel Henry Beren Campus in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan....
of Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
from 1956 until she retired in 1968.
Books
- 1935: Symbole und Gestalten und Symbole der jüdischen Kunst. Berlin-Schöneberg: S. Scholem (in German) (Forms and Symbols of Jewish Art)
- 1948: The Messianic Theme in the Paintings of the Dura Synagogue, Chicago: University of Chicago Press
- 1955: Synagogue Architecture in the United States, Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America
- 1964: Architecture of the European Synagogue, Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1964
- 1990: From Dura to Rembrandt: studies in the history of art, Milwaukee: Aldrich; Vienna: IRSA Verlag; Jerusalem: Center for Jewish Art (collected essays)
Biography
- Rachel Wischnitzer; Doyenne of Historians of Jewish Art, by Bezalel NarkissBezalel NarkissBezalel Narkiss was an Israeli art historian. He was awarded the Israel Prize for his contribution to the field of Jewish art in 1999.He was an expert in illuminated medieval and Renaissance manuscripts and the relationship between Christian and Jewish visual art...
, pp. 9–25, in From Dura Europa to Rembrandt: Studies in the History of Art, by Rachel Wischnitzer, 1990