Leonard Nimoy
It’s been five years. We all knew Leonard Nimoy as an actor, but in the art world he was also known as an accomplished photographer. He will be missed.
His best known photography exhibition, “Shekhina”, has been highly praised (links below). The exhibit has also been controversial due to the nude imagery so be advised before you read further down the page.
One of the images from Nimoy’s Shekhina project.
From the review of the Shekhina exhibition at Hebrew Union College:
“Nimoy’s luminous photographs from his recent book, Shekhina, express his search for the essence of the Shekhina, which he interprets as the manifestation of the divine presence in humankind and, particularly, the feminine aspect of God. Through black and white, light and shadow, figuration and abstraction, Nimoy captures poetic images of the female form. His evocations of spirit and flesh, prayer, gathering, and embrace provide a visual portal through which one may encounter this spiritual presence. . .
“In his powerful photographic exploration of the Shekhina, the revelation of holiness in a profane world, Leonard Nimoy has created a luminous body of work. Each of the feminine figures in his work emanates a mysterious glow, a mantle of light, which in itself becomes a visualization of the glory of God. The imagery of light is the connective sub-text of his work, the blacks are deep and intense, the ephemeral light is buoyant and elusive. Nimoy approaches women with a sculptor’s eye. Frequently sited against awesome cloud formations or emerging from supernatural groves of tree branches, the women are assertive yet gently vulnerable.” Hebrew Union College
Cover of the book Shekhina.
The book Shekhina that accompanied the exhibition is also highly praised and highly sought after. It is out of print and used copies at Amazon sold for $200 and up. With the announcement of Nimoy’s death, prices jumped to $1,200 to $6,900. Five years later, copies in fair to like new condition range from $50 to $284. Order here at Amazon or at the link below.
Here are more of Nimoy’s images.
Originally posted February 27, 2015. Updated and re-posted February 27, 2020.
Links