This new Jewish pop art exhibit in NYC is inspired by psychedelic hippie culture and it shows

Does your idea of a good time involve Maimonides, the Grateful Dead and an ice-cold Dr. Brown’s all sharing the same frame? Clear your calendar, then: the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research and the Center for Jewish History are teaming up for “Psychedelicatessen: A Powerful Dose of Art by Steve Marcus,” a trippy new show that throws 1960s counterculture and Jewish culture into the same blender.

Marcus, an underground artist with a clear soft spot for both Eastern European Jewry and tie-dye-era Americana, has built a body of work that treats the Jewish deli and the hippie commune as long-lost cousins. The result is more than 30 original paintings, prints and sculptures, layering the familiar symbols of Jewish lore with the loud, swirling visuals of psychedelic poster art. To put it simply: expect etrog love beads and Shabbos bong candlesticks to define your visit.

Beneath all the color and cheek, though, there’s a real idea at work. Marcus draws on the immigrant experience and the heritage his ancestors carried over from the old country, then reimagines it through bold hues and unexpected mashups. The show keeps circling the same serious question: how does Jewish identity get passed down, reshuffled and reinvented from one generation to the next? Turns out you can ask that and still have a sense of humor about it.

“Sometimes in life one is blessed with the perfect match, the ultimate fit or a destined collaboration, and this collection of work seamlessly blends my past and present state perfectly,” Marcus said in an official statement.

The exhibit opens to the public on Thursday, July 9, 2026, and stays on view through December, so there’s no rush, but there is one date worth circling. That same evening, YIVO Senior Academic Advisor and Director of Exhibitions Eddy Portnoy will sit down with Marcus himself for a launch-night conversation at the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16th Street). The talk kicks off at 7pm and, best of all, it’s free.

You’ll want to snag a ticket in advance right here and scroll through all exhibit details here.