Jacob Landau’s the Prophetic Quest With Contributions From Monmouth U.’s Director of Galleries and Collections, Scott Knauer

This April, the Pennsylvania State University Press published The Prophetic Quest, an informative and exquisitely illustrated volume on the stained-glass windows of Jacob Landau at the Keneseth Israel synagogue, just north of Philadelphia in Elkins Park. The book, edited by David S. Herrstrom and Andrew D. Scrimgeour pulls back the curtain on this little-known work of art.

Designed by the renowned American artist Jacob Landau, The Prophetic Quest encompasses ten masterful abstract pieces of stained glass that depict the lives and words of the biblical prophets, each towering nearly twenty-five feet high and spanning five feet across. Featuring essays recounting Landau’s vision, the history of his project, and detailed interpretive commentary on each window, this book presents an immersive experience of Landau’s religious masterwork. Personal reflections written by artists, art historians, poets, clergy, and congregants about their experience of The Prophetic Quest round out the volume with new ways to view and appreciate Landau’s creation.

Gorgeously illustrated, this book sheds light on American synagogue art and the history of stained glass in America, and it cements Landau’s reputation as one of the leading American protest artists. The volume features essays by the editors as along with additional reflections from fifteen other contributors including Monmouth University’s Director of Galleries and Collections, Scott Knauer and other leading experts.

Jacob Landau (1917-2001) was an American artist, humanist, and teacher, committed, through his art, to the advocacy of the human, the revelation of the tragic, and the hope of transcendence. Having lived through the Great Depression, Landau faced tough times and human cruelty, influences that can be seen throughout his works. In 1996, Monmouth University awarded Jacob Landau an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree.

Monmouth University is home to an extensive collection of Jacob Landau’s work, comprising over 300 prints, drawings and paintings. The collection was gifted to Monmouth University in 2008 by the Jacob Landau Institute of Roosevelt, NJ.