Jacob Alkow led a fascinating life, full of adventure, spanning several continents. His life is reflected in the works of art that he collected, indicating his fields of interest. An eclectic collection, it includes 43 plastic art works in various styles and techniques, by American, Dutch, French, Italian, Israeli and other artists, but nonetheless exhibiting some common denominators. The larger part of the collection dates from the 20th century, but there are also several works from the 19th century, and several earlier pieces.
Clearly and intentionally Alkow collected works by Jewish artists, mostly ones who immigrated to the United States from Europe, such as Max Liebermann, Raphael Soyer, and Max Weber with whom Alkow was personally acquainted. Alkow’s choices were obviously influenced by his personal biography, as a Russian fugitive who immigrated to the United States with his family, as well as by his strong affinity to Judaism. He acquired works by the two greatest Jewish artists in the Netherlands, Joseph Israëls and Martin Monnickendam. From the latter he purchased a painting depicting a Zionist Congress in Amsterdam, attesting to Alkow’s inclination. He also bought a work by Uri Lesser, a Jewish-German artist, one of the most prominent German Impressionists of the early 20th century. Other Jewish artists in the collection include Jules Adler, Max Band, Hugo Steiner, Boris Deutsch, and Marc Chagall.

Image – Marsden Hartley (1877-1943), American – Mount Sainte-Victoire 1927