When he was 12, he ran away from home with the intention of joining the circus. From the beginning, Ehrich was drawn to illusion, performance, and spectacle. the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York the Harry Ransom Humanities Center, University of Texas at Austin and Tate, London.īorn Ehrich Weiss in Budapest, Hungary, Houdini was the son of a rabbi who immigrated with his family to Wisconsin in 1878. the Harvard Theatre Collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts The New York Public Library The History Museum at the Castle, Appleton, Wisconsin The National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

The exhibition is drawn from private and public collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York the Museum of the City of New York the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Their works, including video, photographs, drawings, installation, sculpture, paintings, and conceptual works, cite different aspects of the Houdini legend: his straitjacket, handcuff and jail escapes his metamorphosis and illusionist effects his magic props and techniques his physical endurance and masculine prowess and the fables about his sudden death. Rather, it will describe his audacious innovation in endowing common items with the aura of magic.įollowing its New York City showing, Houdini: Art and Magic will travel to Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA (April 28 - September 4, 2011) Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA (SeptemJanuary 15, 2012) and Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison, WI (February 11 - ).Ĭontemporary art from the 1970s to the present will be integrated with the historic objects, as the exhibition examines how the magician has served as an inspiration for a significant number of artists. The exhibition will not reveal the “how-to” secrets of Houdini’s magic performances. Visitors will learn about his evolution from a fledging circus performer in the 1890s, to a stage magician at the turn-of-the 20th century, to a daring escape artist in the early 1900s. Two of Houdini’s private diaries, never before shown in a public exhibition, will be displayed. A recreation of the famous Water Torture Cell (much of the original was destroyed in a fire in 1995) will also be on view. Magic apparatus - rarely exhibited together - handcuffs, shackles, straitjacket, a milk can and a packing trunk will be showcased in the context of their original presentation. Included are 26 recent works of art in a variety of media by such artists as Matthew Barney, Jane Hammond, Vik Muniz, and Raymond Pettibon historic photographs dramatic Art Nouveau-era posters and broadsides theater ephemera and archival and silent films that illuminate Houdini’s role as a world-famous celebrity who commanded a mass audience in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through 163 objects, exhibition visitors will be able to explore the career and legacy of the celebrated entertainer while considering his lasting impact on contemporary art and culture. The Jewish Museum will present the first major art museum exhibition to examine Houdini’s life, legend, and enduring cultural influence from Octothrough March 27, 2011. His gripping theatrical presentations and heart-stopping outdoor spectacles attracted unprecedented crowds, and his talent for self-promotion and provocation captured headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

New York, NY - Harry Houdini (1874-1926), the renowned magician and escape artist, was one of the 20th century’s most famous performers.

Houdini magic shop sf