The William L. Gross Collection in Our Library
Graphic Art Portfolios, Exhibition Catalogs, and Books on Jewish Artists
The American-Israeli art collector William L. Gross has been collecting Judaica and documents and literature on Jewish art and culture for almost fifty years. Objects from his collection can frequently be admired in exhibitions all over the world. Our museum acquired part of the library in 2002.
The approximately 400 books are comprised of secondary sources published in Germany before the Second World War on Jewish artists of the classical modernist movement and US, Israeli, and German exhibition catalogs published between 1950 and 2000.
Where
W. M. Blumenthal Academy, Library
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
Postal address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin
In addition, the collection contains approximately 160 brochures and leaflets on international exhibitions of Jewish artists.
References
- Pinsky, Ruth, et al., eds., Gross Family Collection. Vol. 2: Manuscripts and Printed Books, Jerusalem: Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University, 1985.
- Gross, William L., “Collecting Judaica after 1945.” In: Weber, Annette et al., eds., Jüdische Sammler und ihr Beitrag zur Kultur der Moderne (Jewish Collectors and Their Contribution to Modern Culture). Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter GmbH, 2011, 341–352.
William L. Gross Collection Title List (in German)
Download (PDF / 4.94 MB / in German / not accessible)
The printed graphic Es kam das Feuer by El Lissitzky, from the portfolio Chad Gadja [Ein Zicklein], Kiev 1919; Jewish Museum Berlin, Photo: Jens Ziehe. You can find more lithographs from the portfolio Chad Gadja in our online collections (in German)
The printed graphic Es kam das Feuer by El Lissitzky, from the portfolio Chad Gadja [Ein Zicklein], Kiev 1919; Jewish Museum Berlin, Photo: Jens Ziehe. You can find more lithographs from the portfolio Chad Gadja in our online collections (in German)
Can I borrow books from the library?
We do not lend books. Our holdings can only be viewed in the Reading Room.
How can I conduct research using the museum’s archive, collections, and library?
Our Reading Room is open to the public. You can also research using our library’s holdings and some of our collection’s holdings online. To view additional holdings, please contact the responsible curators.
I would like to depict or borrow an object from your collections. Who should I contact?
Your contacts for photo permissions are Valeska Wolfgram and Birgit Maurer-Porat (T +49 (0)30 259 93 433, email: fotodoku@jmberlin.de). Loan requests must be made at least six months in advance. For questions regarding administrative processes, please contact Katrin Strube (T +49 (0)30 259 93 417, email: k.strube@jmberlin.de).
Special Collections: On Jewish Art and Culture (6)
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On Jewish Art and Culture
Some of our Library’s most important collections include the volumes printed by the Soncino Society of Friends of Jewish Books (founded in 1924), the publications of the Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith, and special collections on Jewish art and visual culture.
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The William L. Gross Collection
The 400-book collection includes Judaica, documents, and literature on Jewish art and culture.
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The Ulrich von Kritter Collection
The collection comprises around sixty illustrated works of German-Jewish and Yiddish Literature (1920–1990).
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The Kurt Löb Collection
The collection includes signed and unsigned works by the book illustrator, exhibition catalogs, essays by and about him, and his dissertation.
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The Soncino Society Collection
With eighty Society publications from 1924 to 1937, our collection – a bequest from Hermann Meyer – is complete.
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The John F. and Hertha Oppenheimer Collection
Publications of the Central Association of German Citizens of Jewish Faith, other writings from the interwar period, and books published in the US after 1945
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Collection Hebrew Printing in Berlin
The collection contains about 400 Hebrew and Yiddish titles from the eighteenth century to 1933
