Joel Silverstein: Fine Artist and Leader in the Contemporary Jewish Art Movement

Joel Silverstein was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1957 and attended Pratt Institute, earning a BFA in Painting in 1979 and an MPS in Art Therapy in 1981, followed by an MFA in Painting from Brooklyn College in 1992. Mr. Silverstein is a Fine Artist painter, drawn to the worlds of popular culture, including his use of Silver Age comics, 1950s movie epics, science fiction, and pulp magazine illustrations from the mid-20th century. Through his art, he portrays a contemporary look of the epic and the sacred. He has shown nationally and internationally at JADA, Miami Art Basel, the Van Leer Institute, The Mishkan Le’Omanut Museum, both in Israel, the Pratt Hadas Gallery Rohr Center, The Columbia/Barnard Kraft Center, the Derfner Museum of Judaica, the Amstelkirk Gallery in Holland, and the Jerusalem Biennial, 2015 and 2017.

He is also known for being a leader and innovator in the contemporary Jewish Art movement. The artist/critic is also a Founding Member of the Jewish Art Salon, the largest Jewish artist organization in the world. It provides exhibitions, workshops, classes, and career opportunities, while also developing lasting partnerships with artists, institutions, and the general public. Mr. Silverstein has curated or advised on fifteen Salon exhibitions including: Through Compassionate Eyes; Artists Call for Animal Rights at the Charter Oak Center, Hartford, CT; POW!!! for Jewish Comic Con; and The Dura Europos Project, at the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art and UJA NY.

Mr. Silverstein has also authored 60 articles for magazines and galleries, including d‘ART, Artcritical.com, Review, Jewish Week/The Times of Israel, Sculpture, and many individual artist’s catalogs. He is also on the executive Board of Jewish Art Education, an organization devoted specifically to promoting the history and values of Jewish Art. Furthermore, he has presented at many conferences on art, Jewish studies and culture including CAJM, The Council of American Jewish Museums, The Conney Conference of Jewish Art at the 92nd Street Y, The Kenissa Conference, and the Association for Jewish Studies (AJS) Annual Conference in 2019. His work and curated exhibitions are cited in Ori Z. Soltes’ Tradition and Transformation: Three Millennium of Jewish Art & Architecture and Matthew Baigell’s Jewish Identity in American Art, a Golden Age since the 1970s.

His works include series on superheroes and identity: Jo-El Jore-El, 2014, the theme of Creation: The Ginzberg Variations, 2019, Exodus, The Golden Calf, 1999, The First Plague, Blood, 2017 and individual portraiture, Pardes Portraits, 2020. Critics have noted the expressive and expansive qualities of his paintings. Looking forward, Mr. Silverstein aims to broaden his current efforts, while possibly attaining commissions. You can see his artworks at Joel Silverstein Art.Com.