Two of the most significant public monuments by the sculptor Elbert Weinberg (1928-1991) are Holocaust memorials, one in Wilmington, Delaware, the other on the grounds of the Jewish Community Center on Bloomfield Avenue in West Hartford.  Weinberg grew up in Hartford’s Jewish North End during World War II, and Jewish themes, many of them dark and troubling, occur throughout his work.  Art historian Nancy Finlay will discuss these two important commissions, examining their origins and exploring their imagery. 

We are proud to partner with CT Voices of Hope and Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford for this program.

This lecture coincides with the "Portraits of Survival" exhibit currently on display in our museum gallery until October 15, 2024. Portraits of Survival was conceived by photographer Lena Stein, spotlighting the lives of Holocaust survivors that settled in the Hartford area.

About the presenter:
Nancy Finlay has a B.A. from Smith College and a Ph.D. from Princeton University.  She was responsible for cataloging the Elbert Weinberg Collection in the Hartford History Center, a vast collection of manuscripts, drawings, sculptures, photographs, ephemera, and other material donated to the Hartford Public Library in 2013 by the Elbert Weinberg Trust.  She is the author of In the Grand Tradition: The Enduring Art of Elbert Weinberg published by the Hartford Public Library in 2018