Astrid's Work - Jewish Museum

The Museum of the Jewish Diaspora 1977

Another of Gardner's exhibition designs related to that of the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora in Israel.

For this Astrid was to create two works. One a representation of the activities within a synagogue and the other a representation of Jews being sold into slavery.

Apparently Astrid spent some weeks visiting the synagogue in order to capture the precise atmosphere. At the museum this opens the ‘Faith’ section.

Synagogue. Photographed in London.

The work depicting the slaves represents the practice in the medieval period of communities buying the freedom of Jewish slaves. Astrid’s work is based on the ’Four Captives’. An account rendered in Sefer Seder ha-Kabbalah (The Line of Tradition). A Hebrew historical work written by Abraham ibn Davd of Toledo in 1161, it tells of four Jewish scholars who were taken captives and sold for slavery. Emissaries from Jewish communities redeemed them in four different countries; the scholars eventually founded centres of learning in Alexandra, Kairouan and Cordoba.

Photographed in London.

As exhibited in the Museum of the Jewish Diaspora. [Courtesy of the Museum]

It would appear that the exhibition models were those that I photographed in London. The material of the ‘Slaves’ piece was the same material as used in her earlier set pieces, but that used for the synagogue piece I am not certain about. The individual characters were smaller and as maquettes they would have been plasticine, but if this was the finished work then some longer lasting material may have been utilised. I have been assured by the museum that Astrid’s work is still on display, although a comment from one of their staff underlines Gardner’s attitude toward those who worked with him.

“We are now going to re-do all of the exhibit texts (and some of the display). I can assure you that attitudes change, and myself, for one, regard all that was once looked upon as mere “illustrative” pieces by anonymous Gardner craftsmen, are taken by me as original works of art commissioned by the museum. They are so categorised in our new registration, and all artists’ names will be inserted into the new captions”.

This is pleasing news, since it reinforces the standing of artists like Astrid in the world of art.

Interestingly, this was probably the last time that Astrid worked for Gardner, although there is one other piece (The Scribe) associated with a Jewish Museum, that may be associated with him.