NEW YORK – Even if the shockwaves of religious strife in the Middle East had not just added a refugee calamity to the ongoing economic crisis hammering Europe and Greece, the fascinating topic of the interaction between Christianity, Judaism and Islam in Medieval Jerusalem would have drawn a large crowd to the most recent presentation of The Hellenic-American Cultural Foundation (HACF).
Dr. Barbara Drake Boehm and Dr. Melanie Holcomb, introduced by HACF founder and president Nicholas Kourides, presented an informative and entertaining preview of “Jerusalem 1000-1400: Every People Under Heaven”, an international exhibition opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this Fall, for which they are co-curators.
“In words and images,” the lecture invitation noted, the exhibit “will bring the city of Jerusalem to life – giving voice to the accounts of medieval visitors and introducing” some of the 250 great works of art from more than 60 institutions worldwide.
The co-curators said that special focus will be given to works of art testifying to the role of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate as protector of Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
The art in a variety of media is “culturally diverse and defies easy categorization,” and the tales of the objects themselves makes for good detective stories. Reminding how little the life in the Middle East changes, Boehm noted that the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena was assisted by “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
During the lecture they told stories of getting permission from institutions not used to sending out their treasures that also reads like diplomatic history. “It took a lot of cups of tea” with patriarchs and abbots were necessary to make such an exhibition happen.
During the Q & A, Boehm and Holcomb were asked what was special about that period. Naturally the crusades’ mass movements of people and bloodshed and their aftermath were going to inspire works of art and literature – to say nothing of the regime changes that caused the new leaders to want to leave their architectural marks – but it was noted that around 1000 that a “Jerusalem fever” burst forth in the three faith communities, perhaps with a millenarian dimension.
Much art was also inspired by the belief that in Jerusalem was to be found the portal to heaven.
The universal reverence for city itself and the spiritual importance of the duty of pilgrimage for all the Abrahamic faiths made it possible for travelers could come and go regularly across the battle lines generated by the Holy Land’s unholy rivalries.
Holcomb emphasized the pluralism that prevailed in that period and noted “dozens of denominations and communities contributed to artistic production …in harmonious and dissonant voices. We believe the exhibition will find particular resonance in today’s New York.”
The Met will also shine a spotlight on the men – and women, kings, queens, and commoners – who shaped the city and its art in that period.
It was noted that early in the process the late Michael Jaharis, who along with his wife Mary are grand benefactors of the Met, was instrumental in putting the curators in touch with the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem.
“The two of us were shaking in our boots” one said about their impending first meeting, but “after the early formal moments…he was disarmingly courteous.”
The Patriarch asked them the vital question given the many layers of history and overlapping claims that is of the essence in cities like Jerusalem: “So whose story will you tell?” Their response, which evidently was the right one, “we hope to tell everyone’s and no one’s – the many stories of the time.”
Even the individual objects have layered histories, some having been repurposed by the faith groups that inherited them.
The curators knew why they needed to bring certain pieces to New York, but they had to persuade their owners why it mattered to them to let them go. The ladies were able to convince the heads of institutions that they did not want their art, and thus their own story, to be left out.
Selling the Met was the easy part. They were speaking to educated people familiar with the world’s great museums. It was their trust that they had to win. Many a book or artifact was “loaned” to representatives of great western institutions in the past, never to see their home again.
For Holcomb and Boehm, the approximately ten year process from conception to realization constitutes one of their greatest life experiences. Among their many moving trips were visits to Bethlehem and the renowned St. Sabbas monastery, the great spiritual and intellectual center founded in the 5th century in the Judean dessert.
The dignitaries at the lecture included ambassadors Loucas Tsilas and Andrew Jacovides.
Admission to HACF events is free, but Kourides noted “there is a donation card on your set. Please feel free to make a contribution.” A wonderful reception followed the presentation.
Melanie Holcomb (L), curator and specialist in Medieval luxury arts, and Barbara Drake Boehm, Paul and Jill Ruddock Senior Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.