Julian Schnabel. Jewish?

This exchange took place during an artist talk with Julian Schnabel at Mnuchin gallery, alongside Dana Schutz. Host for this mini-episode, Samuel Abelow asked Schnabel a question he never directly answers — not about biography, identity, or labels, but about the personal, emotional, psychological, and spiritual source of the work. What follows is visceral. His response doesn’t resolve the question. It reveals it. This moment became less about Schnabel, and more about my own search: What is Jewish art, really? Does it have essential qualities beyond symbols or subject matter? And does the non-religious art world, in its intensity, obsession, and myth-making, have more in common with religious experience — particularly Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah — than it realizes? This documentary isn’t about answers. It’s about encounters that leave something exposed. See: 🔗 CurrentArts: https://currentarts.org/ 🔗 Artist website: https://samuelabelow.com 📸   / samuelabelow   📸   / currentarts_org   🔍 KEYWORDS julian schnabel, jewish art, jewish identity in art, contemporary art documentary, jewish mysticism art, kabbalah and art, dana schutz, mnuchin gallery, artist talk nyc, spiritual art, psychology of art, religion and contemporary art, jewish artist question, art and spirituality, modern art