Straitjackets, shackles, milk cans, packing trunks—nothing could hold Harry Houdini, renowned magician, escape artist, and legendary twentieth-century performer. In this Sunday Story, discover Houdini’s unforgettable story, from his beginnings as the son of a poor Hungarian rabbi to his meteoric rise to international fame through his gripping theatrical presentations and heart-stopping outdoor spectacles. Watch for an exploration of Houdini’s life, legend, and enduring cultural influence.
This video was originally published on The CJM's Facebook Live on October 25, 2020.
Sunday Stories is a series of live video presentations that explore Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. Sit back, relax, and discover new stories every week!
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Houdini: Art and Magic (on view at The CJM October 2, 2011–January 16, 2012) included more than 160 objects including magic apparatus, a recreation of the famous Water Torture Cell, historic photographs, dramatic art nouveau-era posters, theater ephemera, and archival and silent films that allowed visitors to fully explore the career and legacy of the celebrated entertainer. The exhibition also featured the work of twenty-six contemporary artists who were inspired by his physical audacity and celebrity, his props and illusionist effects, and the themes of metamorphosis and escape. Artists included Matthew Barney, Whitney Bedford, Joe Coleman, Petah Coyne, Bruce Cratsley, Jane Hammond, Tim Lee, Vik Muniz, Ikuo Nakamura, Deborah Oropallo, Raymond Pettibon, Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Allen Ruppersberg, Christopher Wool, and Carol Yeh.
Handcuffs, late 19th or early 20th century metal. Courtesy of the Sidney H. Radner Collection at The History Museum at the Castle, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1999.25.1, 1996.184.5, 1999.25.3, 1999.25.4, 1999.25.5, 1999.25.6, 1996.184.7a,b, 1996.184.8a,b, 1996.184.9a,b Harvard Theatre Collection, Houghton Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Kevin A. Connolly Collection.
Header image: Allen Ginsberg, Myself seen by William Burroughs, Kodak Retina new-bought 2’d hand from Bowery hock-shop... (detail), 1953. Gelatin silver print, 1984–1997. National Gallery of Art, Gift of Gary S. Davis. Copyright © 1953, 2013 Allen Ginsberg LLC.
Exhibition image: Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac wandering along East 7th street . . ., 1953. Gelatin silver print, 1984–1997. National Gallery of Art, Gift of Gary S. Davis. Copyright © 2013 The Allen Ginsberg LLC. All rights reserved.