Visual Moment | 50 Years, 50 Noted American Jews in the Arts

Looking back over the last 50 years, I am overwhelmed with how many Jewish Americans have achieved prominence in the visual and performing arts. The array of talent seems endless. And not only have Jews excelled in these areas, they have often led the way.

Whether in painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, film, music or theater, the innovations and achievements of American Jews have been extraordinary. Many of the individuals on the following list have won prestigious awards, from a Nobel to Pulitzers, Pritzkers, Emmys, Tonys, Grammys and Oscars. Others have made substantial contributions to Jewish life: Architect James Ingo Freed, of Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, designed the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC; Daniel Libeskind was the architect of the Jewish Museum Berlin; and Moshe Safdie designed Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. Artist Leonard Baskin often focused on Jewish themes and illustrated a Passover Hagaddah that is used to this day. Photographer Roman Vishniac documented Jewish life in Eastern Europe before the Holocaust and later published his evocative images in the 1983 book A Vanished World. Many others on the list have used their art to fight for Jewish values—for freedom, justice and equality.

In assembling the list, I had to make a lot of hard decisions, and it turned out to be a much more challenging task than I had anticipated. The choices are mine, defined of course by the constraints of our time frame. There were some surprises and a few disappointments; some of the people I wanted to include—painter Mark Rothko, for instance, and photographer Man Ray, whom I wrote about in our Winter 2022 issue—didn’t fit our parameters.

Many of these artists came to America as immigrants, fleeing persecution and oppressive regimes that had limited their lives and creativity. Certainly the freedom they found here nurtured their talents and allowed them to shine.

So here is my list. I’d love to hear your comments, as well as your alternatives, and even your criticisms. Email me at dbolz@dev.momentmag.com. And have fun identifying the images below and matching them with the artists whose work they picture. Go here for the key.

Woody Allen actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, comedian
Alan Arkin actor, director, singer, songwriter
Richard Avedon fashion and portrait photographer
Leonard Baskin sculptor, graphic artist
Leonard Bernstein composer, conductor
Marcel Breuer architect, furniture designer
Mel Brooks actor, comedian, filmmaker
Judy Chicago feminist artist, art educator, writer
Joel and Ethan Coen (The Coen Brothers) filmmaking duo
Leonard Cohen (Canadian) singer-songwriter, poet
Bob Dylan singer, songwriter, poet
Alfred Eisenstaedt photographer, photojournalist
Helen Frankenthaler Abstract Expressionist painter
James Ingo Freed architect
Diane von Furstenberg fashion designer
Frank Gehry architect, designer
Milton Glaser graphic designer
Philip Glass composer, pianist
Nan Goldin photographer, activist
Philip Guston painter, printmaker, muralist
Billy Joel singer, songwriter, pianist
Alex Katz figurative painter, sculptor, printmaker
Carole King singer, songwriter, musician
Stanley Kubrick filmmaker, photographer
Lee Krasner Abstract Expressionist painter
Tony Kushner author, playwright, screenwriter
Annie Leibovitz photographer
Helen Levitt photographer, cinematographer
Daniel Libeskind architect, artist, set designer
Roy Lichtenstein Pop artist
Mary Ellen Mark portrait photographer, photojournalist
Richard Meier architect
Bette Midler actor, singer, comedian
Louise Nevelson sculptor
Mandy Patinkin actor, singer
Irving Penn fashion, portrait, still-life photographer
Ben Platt actor, singer
Natalie Portman actor, director, producer
Jerome Robbins dancer, choreographer, theater/film/ballet director
Moshe Safdie architect, urban planner
Jerry Seinfeld actor, comedian, writer, producer
George Segal painter, sculptor associated with Pop movement
Maurice Sendak author, illustrator of children’s books
Richard Serra sculptor, large-scale abstract works
Neil Simon playwright, screenwriter, author
Stephen Sondheim composer, lyricist for musical theater
Steven Spielberg director, producer, screenwriter
Barbra Streisand singer, actor, director, producer, songwriter
Roman Vishniac photographer
Garry Winogrand street photographer

Photo credit: Jorge Royan (CC by-sa 3.0) / Rhododendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0) / Noam Chen for the Israeli Ministry of Tourism / Ajay Suresh (cc by 2.0) / Ian Abbot (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) / Coldcreation (CC BY-SA 3.0 ES) F.N. Broers/Anefo / loc / Artwork © 2025 Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / Eric Wilcox (CC BY-NC 2.0) / Slices of light (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 / Photograph by Richard Avedon, © The Richard Avedon Foundation

Don’t miss the key here!