The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) will present four solo exhibitions of contemporary art inspired by the legacy of Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), the influential musician, man of letters, and global icon from Montreal, Canada. The exhibitions, installed throughout all of The Museum’s main galleries, will include a variety of artworks ranging from immersive and intimate to rarely-before-seen and personal reflections on the impact of Cohen’s work. Featuring contemporary artists George Fok, Judy Chicago, Candice Breitz, and Marshall Trammell, each exhibition offers its own unique understanding of Leonard Cohen and his expansive oeuvre. An opening celebration is planned for September 19, 2021.
“Leonard Cohen is an iconic figure whose work has had a lasting impact on artists and the general population alike,” said Senior Curator Heidi Rabben. “His songs and poetry both reflect the time he was living in and continue to be meaningful today. Comprising immersive video, sound, and visual artworks that range from homage to abstraction, these exhibitions truly offer something for everyone. We can’t wait to welcome visitors to The Museum to celebrate Cohen’s enduring legacy through the lens of these brilliant artists.”
Two major exhibitions by Candice Breitz and George Fok feature ambitious installations that were commissioned by the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (MAC) for the large-scale touring exhibition Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything, curated by John Zeppetelli, Director and Chief Curator and Victor Shiffman, Guest Curator. “Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything has been received with so much emotion wherever it has been shown. The MAC is very pleased to work with The CJM, which will revive two iconic works from this magnificent exhibition that has touched such a wide audience. The process of creating an atypical tribute exhibition around such an inspiring subject, and Cohen’s passing while the show was being organized, made it a particularly meaningful experience,” said Zeppetelli.
The CJM developed the Judy Chicago and Marshall Trammell exhibitions over the course of the past year as a complement to the works from the original MAC exhibition. On August 5, The CJM will open the first two solo exhibitions, George Fok: Passing Through and Judy Chicago: Cohanim. On September 18, Candice Breitz: I’m Your Man (from the collection of the MAC) and Marshall Trammell in Residence will open to the public as well. The first two exhibitions will be on view through January 2, 2022, and the second two through February 13, 2022.
The four exhibitions at The CJM are accompanied by the Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything catalog published by the MAC that details the original exhibition by tracing the two years of preparation preceding its opening at the MAC in 2017, and includes texts by artists, curators, Cohen’s biographer Sylvie Simmons, and author Chantal Ringuet.