Dalit L. Durst (Hebrew: דלית להב-דורסט; born 1956 as Dalit Lahav) is an author, translator, curator and art historian of both Israeli and French nationalities. Former chief curator at the M.T. Abraham Foundation and head of the Cultural Exchange and Academic Department at the Hermitage Foundation Israel, she has curated exhibitions in Europe (Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia), dedicated to the sculpture of Edgar Degas. In December 2013 she co-curated the exhibition "Edgar Degas: Figures in Motion" at The State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2016 she curated an exhibition of Degas' 74 bronze sculptures at MGM Art Space in Macau. Lahav-Durst works with a broad range of artists. Fluent in multiple languages, she has co-authored and translated over 15 books.

Dalit Lahav-Durst
Native name
Dalit Lahav
BornJerusalem, Israel
Pen nameDalit L. Durst
OccupationAuthor, editor, executive, curator
LanguageHebrew, French, Portuguese, Spanish and English
NationalityIsraeli, French
GenreTranslations, art history

Biography edit

Early years edit

Dalit Lahav-Durst (originally named Dalit Lahav) was born in 1956, and is of both Israeli and French nationality. She grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she studied comparative literature at the USP. She later moved to Paris, France, where she focused on art history, criticism, and conservation at New Sorbonne University.[1] Her languages include Hebrew, French, Portuguese, Spanish and English.[1]

Writing edit

She has worked as an art critic and editor for a number of Hebrew-language newspapers, including Ma'ariv Daily, and she has translated a number of books into Hebrew, including The Immortal by Jorge Luis Borges, O Aleph by Paulo Coelho, Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis,[2] and Tselalim (Sombras em Telavive) by Manuel Poppe.[3][4]

Curation, symposiums edit

Early years, World War II

Many of her curated exhibits and organized symposiums have involved World War II.[5] In 1996, she organized the "European Meeting of Holocaust Archival Centers" (at UNESCO headquarters in Paris), with the participation of historians, archive keepers and researchers from 25 countries.[6] She was curator and artistic events organizer[1] at the Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr (Mémorial du Martyr Juif Inconnu) and the Jewish Contemporary Documentation Center in Paris.[5] While at the center she worked with artists such as sculptor Shlomo Selinger, and the photographers Ruth Goodwin and William Betsch, among others.

Recent years edit

Since 2005 Durst has worked as a consultant and art curator for several private collectors, and was the representative of the Tel-Aviv Foundation in France[1][5] She also acts a consultant for the CulturalHeritage.cc Foundation.[7] As of 2014 she is Head of the Cultural Exchange and Academic Department at the Hermitage Foundation Israel.[5]

Since June 2008[1] she has been the chief curator at the M.T. Abraham Foundation.[8] While representing the foundation,[9] she coordinated and supervised the following exhibitions: The Sculpture of Edgar Degas at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel, (2010), The Complete Sculptures of Edgar Degas at the Herakleidon Museum, Athens, Greece, (2010), The Complete Sculptures of Edgar Degas at the National Art Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria (2010), The Complete Sculptures of Edgar Degas at the Varna Archaeological Museum, Bulgaria, (2010), The Sculpture of Edgar Degas at The Evagoras Lanitis Center, Limassol, Cyprus, (2011-2012), Edgar Degas Complete Sculpture at Galerija Klovićevi dvori, Zagreb, Croatia (2012).[10][11] In 2013 Durst co-curated the Degas in Motion exhibit at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg,[8] and also co-authored sections of the illustrated catalog[12] published by Petronius.[8]

Selected works edit

Co-Author
  • Reading the Walls (2007)[13] - on memorial plaques in Paris
Editor
  • Guide des Archives sur la Shoah (2000)
  • Notes from a Coffeehouse (Maxim Gilan, 2014)
Translations

Among her literary translations into Hebrew are:

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Dalit Lahav". LinkedIn. Archived from the original on June 28, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  2. ^ Machado de Assis; Lahav, Dalit (1997). Don Ḳasmuro: (Adon sar ṿe-zaʻef) (in Hebrew). Tel Aviv: Geṿanim. ISBN 978-965-411-240-6. OCLC 79842726.
  3. ^ a b Pope, Manuel; Lahav, Dalit (2003). Tselalim. Tel-Aviv : Yaron Golan. ISBN 9789726954392. OCLC 58401576. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  4. ^ Pope, Manuel; Lahav, Dalit (2003). Tselalim (in Hebrew). Tel-Aviv: Yaron Golan. ISBN 978-972-695-439-2. OCLC 58401576.
  5. ^ a b c d "About". Hermitage Museum Foundation Israel: Official Facebook Page. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  6. ^ "The Jewish Councils in German-occupied Europe". Ceremonies of Inauguration - The History of the Shoah Review N°185. Memorial de la Shoah: Musee Centre de documentation. July–December 2006. Archived from the original on March 30, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  7. ^ "Management team, training and help". CulturalHeritage.cc. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c ""Edgar Degas. Figure in Motion" at the Hermitage". ArtInvestment.ru. December 21, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  9. ^ "Dalit Lahav Durst: Little dancer was a sharp tongue and a favorite of many Parisian cafes". JutarnijiList. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  10. ^ "Degas steps in Dance at Galerija Klovicevi Dvori". M.T. Abraham. Retrieved March 1, 2012. (English)
  11. ^ Durst, Dalit L.; Viculin, Marina (2012). Edgar Degas: skulpture. Zagreb, Croatia: Galerija Klovicevi dvori. p. 161. ISBN 9789532710595. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  12. ^ "Degas dancers and bathers finally in Zagreb". ARTinvestment.RU. Hermitage Museum. May 1, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  13. ^ Shimshi, Siona; Lahav, Dalit (June 21, 2007). Read The Walls (in English and French). Even Hoshen. p. 376. ISBN 978-9657270509.

External links edit

Further reading