This was my Grandmother, Bertha Urdang and me when I was 5 or 6. My Grandmother was a tough lady. She lost her husband, my Grandfather, who I would never know in 1948 to a landmine that killed most of his army unit. Bertha opened her first art gallery in Jerusalem in 1966, The Rina Gallery, named after my mother. In 1972 she moved to America and opened The Bertha Urdang Gallery across the street from the Whitney Museum. She championed Israeli art and lived to introduce Israeli artists among others to America. She worked and lived in the same space and was as passionate about her life’s work as anyone I’d ever met. She never made much money and didn’t much care. She had a sense of purpose and a drive that was inspiring. She wasn’t perfect..She could be stubborn, she could be difficult and all things took a backseat to the Gallery and the art. She had her good and her bad like all of us. Her bad wasn’t the worst and her good was unbelievable. She woke up every day excited to share her passion for art. Her saddest days of the week were the 2 days a week the Gallery was closed. She went back to Israel in 1992 continuing her journey in art which she lived and breathed until her passing in 2001. We had a very close relationship and I often think that I wish she could have lived a little longer so I could have spoken to her as a fellow business owner who understands that life. So today my Grandmother would have been 110 years old and I’m celebrating her life and memory in my mind. Her legacy meant so much to her and she’d be happy to know it lives on.. Happy Birthday Gagi (that’s what her Grandchildren called her). #israeliart #berthaurdang #art