In Berkeley Talks episode 141(link is external), a panel of scholars discuss the work of Roman Vishniac, a renowned Russian American photographer who took thousands of photos over seven decades and across three continents.
The panel discussion was part of Roman Vishniac. In Focus: 1922-2022(link is external), a two-day Berkeley event that included an open house on May 1 at The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life and a daylong virtual symposium on May 2 that brought together scholars from across the world to discuss the historical context and content of Vishniac’s photographs.
The event, presented by The Magnes in collaboration with Berkeley’s Center for Jewish Studies, celebrated the reopening of The Magnes and the richness of the Roman Vishniac Archive, which includes over 30,000 images, audiovisual materials, correspondence and memorabilia appraised at more than $38.5 million. They were donated in 2018 by Vishniac’s daughter, Mara Vishniac Kohn, who worked closely with The Magnes curatorial staff to ensure the unprecedented gift — the third largest in UC Berkeley’s history — would come to The Magnes.