Nº 010 · See
Ten commandments, drawn as letters
The Jewish Museum · 2026-09-30T21:51:33.166Z
In Decalogue, Ben Shahn turns the Ten Commandments into an encounter with lettering. The museum explains that he used the first Hebrew letter of the first word of each commandment. Made in gouache and gold leaf on paper in 1961, the work invites us to look at language as an image.
Read it at The Jewish Museum ↗
- Why this number?
- The Ten Commandments, represented through their opening Hebrew letters.
- Credit
- Ben Shahn, Decalogue, 1961. The Jewish Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Albert A. List Family. Art © Estate of Ben Shahn/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
- Reuse and attribution
- Original NicheMisc introduction and source link. The linked work stays on its original website; its text, images, video and audio are not reproduced here.
- Published
- 2026-09-30T21:51:33.166Z