Renowned as a major figurative painter, R.B. Kitaj (1932 – 2007) was also a notable intellectual, conversant in the history of art, philosophy, and aesthetics.  Among his favorite topics of conversation, as well as the source of inspiration for his later painting and writing, was what he called the “Jewish Question,” the surprising persistence of both anti-Semitism and Jewish intellectual creativity in the modern age.

This exhibit explores the life, legacy, and Jewish obsession of this Los Angeles-based artist through contents drawn from the personal archive of papers he donated to UCLA Library Special Collections shortly before his untimely death in October 2007.

The exhibition is organized into chapters in Kitaj's life journey, his transition from artist to Jewish artist, his 1994 retrospective at the Tate Gallery and its aftermath, his diasporist manifestoes, and his life in Los Angeles. Its contents include selections from his extensive correspondence, personal and published writings, drawings, and sketches, as well as original art works and personal photographs from the Kitaj family. It also features his designs for book covers, books that influenced his work, and books and prints that he created in collaboration with writers including Robert Creeley, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Allen Ginsberg.

This exhibition is presented in conjunction with R.B. Kitaj: Passion and Memory – Jewish Works from His Personal Collection, on view at the Skirball Cultural Center January 11– March 30, 2008.

EXHIBIT CHAPTERS:

1.	LIFE JOURNEY
2.	ARTIST to JEWISH ARTIST
3.	TOO JEWISH
4.	DIASPORIST MANIFESTO
5.	KITAJ in L.A.
6.	BOOK COVERS and CATALOGUES
7.	COLLABORATIONS
8.	SANDRA as SHEHKINA
	EXHIBIT CREDITS