Art and the Jews of Morocco

For centuries, the artistry of the Jewish community in Morocco has flourished - as much in urban areas as in the countryside - in metalwork, manuscripts, silks, wool, leather, woodwork. Often, this creativity has given birth to exceptional works that showcase the talent and originality of artists and artisans who have nonetheless remained anonymous. Originally from Morocco, André Goldenberg is an ethnologist who has devoted a significant part of his life to collecting the art of the Jews of Morocco, artefacts that show a unique artistic perspective and an extremely fine artistic quality. The extraordinary collection of objects assembled in this volume reveals the multiple facets of the art of Moroccan Jews, while the meticulous research that accompanies the catalogue promises to preserve this culture for future generations. This richly illustrated book constitutes an imaginary museum, carefully detailing hundreds of masterpieces of Jewish Moroccan art gathered from public and private collections in Morocco and abroad.

Born in Marrakesh, André Goldenberg grew up in a Jewish community that was coloured by French and Moroccan influences. After completing his first book, Juifs du Maroc, images et textes (1984), Goldenberg focussed his research on the artistic and symbolic features of Moroccan material culture, publishing a number of titles on the subject, including: Bijoux du Maroc, depuis le temps des Juifs jusqu’à la fin du XXe siècle (1999); Bestiaire de la culture populaire musulmane et juive au Maroc (2000); Arts et cultures du Maroc (2004).