By COLlive staff
The Betzalel Gallery, a new fine art gallery in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, demands attention with its chic exterior – like that of a trendy Soho gallery – although it sits sandwiched between an aging Laundromat and a bland, pre-war brownstone apartment building.
Specializing in chassidic art, the gallery which is owned by local resident Dovy Andrusier stands as a symbol of the continued revival of Crown Heights and the remarkable emergence of this art form.
Inside the Betzalel Gallery are the Rembrandts, van Goghs and Monet of the chassidic art world. These are the most sought after – and highly ticketed – art pieces by the contemporary masters of Judaic art.
These paintings depict scenes of Jewish life and tradition, painted in the representational art style, an elderly chossid with a long white beard teaches children from an old book by the light of a candle, a tailor dressed from the Shtetal times mends tethered garments, earnest young Yeshiva boys in traditional black hats and coats walk down the windy roads of Jerusalem.
The gallery curator is Shmuel Pultman, a Boro Park resident who opened a similar art gallery in Boro Park almost 20 years ago. Pultman has been at the forefront of chassidic art’s meteoric rise. He has seen the prices of the finest paintings jump tenfold at the same time as contemporary representational art has declined in popularity.
“Twenty years ago, the most a Judaic artist was able to command for a painting was $20,000 – $30,000. The Betzalel Gallery’s top painting has an asking price of $175,000 although there are paintings starting from $3,000,” he said.
For Pultman, it was straight-forward to recognize that chassidic art’s time had arrived. He saw that many Holocaust survivors’ children had achieved considerable financial success. They were building large, beautiful homes but had nothing with which to fill the walls. His mission for the past 20 years has been to educate Jews about fine Jewish art.
The Betzalel Gallery will officially open its doors on Thursday, May 17. There will be an artist reception and exhibition of the great contemporary Judaic artist Itshak Holtz‘s watercolors and drawings.
Holtz is an example of the ascendancy of chassidic Art. Born in Poland, he immigrated to Jerusalem before World War II. He began drawing and studying art in Israel and continued his studies in New York. His everyday portrayals of traditional Jewish life, as well as the charm of Jerusalem’s winding alleyways, have become iconic.
Now 86 years old, Mr. Holtz is the elder statesman of the chassidic art world and is acknowledged as the greatest contemporary Judaic artist.
The Exhibit will run from May 20 through June 10.
The Betzalel Fine Art gallery is located at 567 Empire Blvd Brooklyn, NY. The Opening Art Exhibition will be on Thursday, May 17 Starting at 7:30 PM. For more information on the exhibition and gallery go to http://www.facebook.com/TheBetzalelGallery
Raise the bar for Crown Heights.
He’s a bit more classy than the dude who sells pictures off the bench in 770.
Will they be selling tapestries as well?
please don’t just make unfounded statements.
do you know what happened in nevel? or do you just assume based on some stories that you’ve been told.
not everyone in nevel wore long sleeves .
Shmuel Pultman… so good to know… you’re back.
Your presence in the Judaic art world has been truly missed.
Much hatzlacha with this new venture.
Looking forward to attending the opening reception for
Itshak Holtz.
Masterpiece Artworks Must be seen!!!!
This is a joy to the community
The gallery is classy and elegant as any gallery in Manhatten.
Best wishes for Mazel and Success.
Moshe Cohen it Gorgeous
Wishing you the greatest hatzlocha R’ Shmuel!
from
Moshe Susman (ben R’ Noach Z”L)
Empire Blvd between Kingston & Brooklyn [or between Empire Kosher & Kingston ;o)]
soho has almost no more art galleries…if you want to compare this gallery to a real gallery district, use chelsea or the upper east side as an analogy
It would be wonderful if the writer of this article had any idea what they are talking about.
“He has seen the prices of the finest paintings jump tenfold at the same time as contemporary representational art has declined in popularity.”
But the gallery is indeed wonderful
anyone who knows anything about nevel would know that this would def be seen there
i had a similar reaction to the grass picture. the kids look like modern kids with their modern hairstyles and nonchalant postures. doesn’t mesh with the shtetl background. perhaps it’s the contrast of today’s children recounting the shtetl of yesteryear?
Love the exterior color and the interior are great, nice job. I am concren about the location, let’s hope empire blvd.will finally emerge as being a more successful area. However, cleaning up the streets ( pick up the garbage all over the blvd. and side streets, wont see that in Soho or Park Slope, UWS, etc) needs to be a priority I would like to see more modern and contemporary artists, the unpredictable and unsual. If we are going for comparisons to soho. don’t forget whether we like it or not a new upper middle class secular and even non-jewish… Read more »
in the painting with the children sitting on the grass, seemingly with the shtetl in the background, why is the girl in short sleeves? is this nevel? i assure you such a dress was not seen there. such a heartwarming picture – at first…
Fantastic work by Moshe Cohen! Good luck to Dovi and Co!
did the owner do a proper market analysis? does the owner realize that crown heights in an area where on a scale of 1 to ten, the arts are a zero….
its ok to be “trendy”, as long as we represent the Rebbe respectfully, which this does. Some of the other new places opening up (not art galleries) really represent other people’s own interests and they seem unconscious to the fact that CHts is here for, and because of the Rebbe. this seems fine
Good luck Shmuel!
hatzlacha
No mention of michoel muchnik???
love it!
I have two but I think a gallery in Jerusalem has exclusive rights to Ben Avraham’s works. His works aren’t “Chassidic” so probably not. I can’t wait to take a look, The place looks magnificent!
Where exactly is the gallery? Between where & where?
amazing