A small group of dignitaries from across Florida gathered at the Chabad Center in Jacksonville on Thursday for the unveiling of a world-famous sculpture by artist Robert Indiana, which will be at the center of a new gallery for Judaic art that was inaugurated at the event.
Donated to Chabad of Southside and the Towncenter by philanthropist and art collector Alvin Malnik of Miami, the spectacular piece of art is a tribute to his friends, Drs. Lazar and Raissa Finker-Frenkel.
In 1977, artist Robert Indiana conceived a new version of his iconic LOVE sculpture, which he titled אהבה (ahava). It uses the four Hebrew letters that comprise the word for “love” in the same distinctive quadripartite composition that he had developed in the mid-1960s for his world-famous work of Pop Art. The work embodies Indiana’s unique approach to sculptural form, translating the two-dimensional written word into a monumental sculpture with precisely rendered hard edges.
“Ahava, meaning ‘love,’ is most appropriate to its new home at Chabad, a group whose 3,500 centers around the world, and, of course, here in Jacksonville, is predicated entirely upon the mission of care for another, loving all of mankind,” says Chana Novack, co-director of Chabad of Southside with her husband, Rabbi Shmuli Novack.
“It is a most fitting tribute to Lazar and Raissa Finker-Frenkel, and their family, who truly embody the Jewish ethos of ‘love thy neighbor as thyself’ and demonstrate generosity in such a way that inspires others to emulate,” adds Rabbi Novack.
A beautiful new space that will exhibit the AHAVA sculpture and other Jewish art from around the world, the Malnik Gallery, was formally inaugurated at the event. “The gallery is a fitting tribute to the Malnik family, whose name has become synonymous with philanthropy from Make-a-Wish to Mount Sinai Hospital,” he notes.
“This new gallery will exhibit some of the most unique and sought-after Jewish art in the world,” says the rabbi, who hopes it will become a destination for Jewish culture and inspiration on the Florida coast.
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