Exhibitions at the Magnes
In Plain Sight: Jewish Arts and Lives in the Muslim World Exhibition (2024)
The exhibitions of the Magnes rely on the collection’s extensive, and ever-growing, holdings of art, books, manuscripts, and material culture. By combining museum practice, research, and instruction, they present to the public the results of engaging collaborative projects led by UC Berkeley faculty, students, visiting scholars, artists, and curators. Exhibitions are presented in conjunction with programs connecting academic life and the public interest.
Upcoming
Flowing through Time and Tradition
Aug 28, 2025 – May 14, 2026
Exploring the theme of water through the holdings of the Magnes Collection, the upcoming 2025/26 exhibition, Flowing through Time and Tradition, traces how water shapes Jewish lives: etching belief, sustaining life and communities, providing the means for spiritual cleansing, and mapping identities. Opening to the public on Thursday, August 28, 2025.
Jonah and the Whale in Haifa Port by Eugene Abeshaus (1939–2008), Tel Aviv, Israel, Grebel, 1978. Gift of the artist, 94.26.3.
Current Exhibitions
An Archive of Archives: Roman Vishniac’s Exhibition History | New York, 1971-72
Aug 27, 2024 - May 15, 2025
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Past Exhibitions
Since its founding in 1962, the Magnes has a history of presenting exhibitions that break new ground in Jewish Studies research, build upon the collaboration between curators and UC Berkeley faculty and students, expand Judaica connoisseurship, introduce under-recognized Jewish artists of the 20th century, and take risks with experimental projects by contemporary artists. Many of its exhibitions draw on selections from its extensive collections, or commissioned works that use the collections as inspiration.
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