Halahmy was born in Baghdad in 1938 and learned to carve in his father's goldsmith shop, then was airlifted to Israel with his family in 1951 during the mass migration of Iraqi Jews. These 1970s wood pieces were made as studies for later monumental works, which means they are the hand-scale versions, ladders and windows worked directly by the artist. He describes it plainly, saying he found his way back to Iraq through making art, and the sculptures carry that displacement in their forms.
What to expect
A compact focus-gallery installation set within the museum's permanent collection presentation on Floor 3, so you encounter it as part of a larger visit rather than a separate exhibition. The scale is intimate and the works are wood rather than the artist's later metal.
Good to know
- It sits on Floor 3 inside the museum's permanent collection galleries
- The 6 to 96th Street is the closest subway to Fifth Avenue and 92nd Street
- The Jewish Museum is closed on certain weekdays; confirm open days first
- It is small enough to add to a visit centered on the Wiener Werkstatte show
- Included with general admission
- The museum sits at the top of Museum Mile, walkable from Cooper Hewitt
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Common questions
When were the sculptures made?
Primarily in the 1970s, after Halahmy moved to New York from London following study at Saint Martin's School of Art.
Where is the installation located?
On Floor 3, within Identity, Culture, and Continuity: Stories from the Collection of the Jewish Museum.
What is the artist's background?
He was born in Baghdad in 1938, learned carving in his father's goldsmith shop, and left Iraq for Israel in 1951.
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