Leonard Cohen's words gave voice to the human condition, in all of its grace and imperfection—and to this day, they continue to inspire generations of artists, musicians, and writers. This inspiration is at the heart of Experience Leonard Cohen: a series of four solo exhibitions that present immersive and intimate artworks by contemporary artists George Fok, Judy Chicago, Candice Breitz, and Marshall Trammell, all inspired by the life and work of Leonard Cohen (1934–2016), the influential musician, man of letters, and global icon from Montréal, Canada.
One of the most celebrated singer/songwriters in history, Cohen’s poetry, novels, and songs expressed the complexities and desires of body and soul—a compelling metaphor for the twenty-first century Jewish experience. His songs masterfully combine mystery and universality with sacred and profane, and are now imprinted on our collective memory. Before achieving worldwide recognition, Cohen’s work—both widely celebrated and lesser-known—was deeply influenced by his life experiences, from his childhood in Montréal to his years spent studying Zen Buddhism. These moments in history deliver profound insights into Cohen’s music and poetry, and new understanding of the artwork he inspired.
Born into a Jewish family in an affluent suburb of Montréal, Leonard Norman Cohen was the second child of Masha Klinitsky-Klein and Nathan Bernard Cohen. From his father, he inherited a love of suits; from his mother, he received his charisma and love of music.
Many Jewish immigrants who arrived in Montréal in the early twentieth century moved northward in pursuit of social mobility. Young Leonard Cohen made the journey in the opposite direction: as a college student, he left Westmount early on for downtown Montréal, where he chose to live in hotel rooms and small apartments. Despite his extensive travels and his residence in Los Angeles, Cohen always returned to Montréal to “renew his neurotic affiliations,” as he often repeated in interviews.
Nathan Cohen died when Leonard was nine years old. Grief-stricken, Leonard wrote a message that he placed secretly in a bowtie that had belonged to his father and then buried it in the garden. Later, he would say that this was his first act as a poet, and went on to add two things: first, that had he been able to climb a mountain at the time, he would have become a mountain climber; and second, that his entire work no doubt was an extension of that original gesture.
His father’s death affected Cohen’s life and work in many ways. It was a huge loss, from which he derived the solemnity that would become his hallmark. It also solidified his connection with Judaism; in addition to the name “Cohen” passed down from his father—which indicates in Judaism that the bearer is a kohen, belonging to a prestigious lineage of priests that served in the temple in Jerusalem—Leonard was now the man of the family, responsible for presiding at the Passover Seder.
Cohen began studies in poetry and prose at McGill University in 1951. During his time as a student, he was introduced to Montréal's literary circles, taking part in various poetry readings in downtown nightclubs.
After earning his degree in English literature (1955), he published his first poetry collection, Let Us Compare Mythologies (1956). Made up mainly of Cohen’s early writings, the collection contained themes that would recur in his work: love, religion, and poetry.
After traveling to Cuba in 1959, Cohen settled in London, where he bought an Olivetti 22 typewriter and began writing his first novel. In 1960, he arrived on the Greek island of Hydra, where he published the poetry collections The Spice-Box of Earth (1961) and Flowers for Hitler (1964). It was on Hydra that Cohen met Marianne Ihlen—his companion who later inspired the famous song "So Long, Marianne."
In 1963, Cohen published his first novel, The Favourite Game. The book follows the adventures of a young Jewish poet whose life bears striking similarities to that of the author: after a sheltered childhood marked by the death of his father, he develops a taste for hypnosis and an unconditional love of women. Already we recognize the lover who would produce such works as Death of a Ladies’ Man and Tower of Song.
Cohen’s second novel, Beautiful Losers (1966), tells the story of a love triangle, throughout which mysticism, sexuality, drug use, and sensory excesses intermingle. An “experimental novel,” Beautiful Losers did not sell well when released and aroused controversy, described by critic Robert Fulford as “the most revolting book ever written in Canada.” It was not until the following generation that the book gained true recognition in literary circles. Today it is considered a key English Canadian postmodern novel.
After the commercial failure of his second novel, Cohen moved to New York City. A year later, John Hammond, who had discovered Bob Dylan, signed Cohen to a contract with Columbia Records. Songs of Leonard Cohen, his first album, released in 1967, featuring titles that would become his signatures: "Suzanne," "So Long, Marianne," and "Sisters of Mercy." While his music could be described as “post-folk,” its ties to the folk revival of the 1960s related more to the album’s musical influences than to any spirit of protest, having more in common with the art of inward-looking singer/songwriters like Tim Hardin and Joni Mitchell.
In 1969, Cohen released his second album, Songs From a Room, which again garnered great commercial success. His career as singer/songwriter took off immediately. From now on, it would become necessary to differentiate between Leonard Cohen the writer and the cultural phenomenon he became.
The late 1960s and 70s were characterized by Cohen’s deepening involvement in the New York artistic milieu, and by his increasing fame. He frequented the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan, which was a haunt for numerous artists and writers including Andy Warhol and the Factory, Allan Ginsberg, Bob Dylan, and others. In 1968, an amorous encounter with Janis Joplin on one of his visits inspired him to write the song Chelsea Hotel No. 2, which was released in 1974 on the album New Skin For the Old Ceremony.
With the release of the album Death of a Ladies Man (1977), followed by a collection of poems of the same name (1978), Cohen experienced a turning point in his thinking. He began to develop the idea that light—and joy—penetrated through the cracks in the soul. This thought was clearly expressed in a line in the song "Anthem" (1992): “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
Cohen stepped away from the music scene in the early 1980s. Aside from two world tours he undertook in 1980 and 1985, he devoted himself mostly to writing.
The release of I'm Your Man In 1988 heralded Cohen’s highly successful comeback to music. With its mix of geo-political considerations, social concerns, and religious issues intermingled with a touch of humor, this album indicated his shift to a more modern style, thanks to the use of synthesizers and Cohen’s improved singing. Several titles went on to become huge successes, including "I’m Your Man," "Ain’t No Cure For Love," and "Everybody Knows." The album was a major commercial hit in a number of countries. Several of the album’s hits posted record sales and it figured prominently on various lists of Top Albums of the 1980s.
In the early 1970s, Cohen travelled to Mount Baldy and affiliated centers to practice Zen in the Japanese Rinzai tradition. In the 1980s, he helped establish a Zen magazine called Zero and a Zen center in Montréal. In 1994, Cohen decided to devote himself full-time to leading the life of a Buddhist monk alongside his teacher, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki.
For five years, Cohen left the music scene altogether. He gave up suits and fedoras for monastic dress—long robe, shaved head, and austere demeanour. The object of this stay was not so much to have a mystical experience as it was to regain a “normal” life, freed from dependency on alcohol, medication, and sex.
Ten New Songs (2001), co-written and produced by Sharon Robinson, brought Cohen’s nine-year silence to an end. It also marked a turning point in his career: he now presented a mature image, different from that of the poet with the folk guitar.
After a fifteen-year absence from the stage, Cohen set out on a grand world tour, his second major return to the music scene. The much-anticipated return to the stage began on May 11, 2008, and ended on December 11, 2010. Acclaimed from the start by critics, it included performances in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Israel, and Europe. In total, Cohen gave 246 concerts.
After the release of the album Old Ideas (2012), Cohen set out on the Old Ideas World Tour (2012–2013). This would be his last tour. From August 2012–December 2013, it took him to Europe, North America, New Zealand, and Australia. It featured several new songs in addition to older ones, as well as a rare interpretation of Georges Dor's "La Manic."
For his eightieth birthday, Cohen launched his thirteenth studio album, Popular Problems, on September 19, 2014 to a very warm reception from critics.
Nineteen days after the release of You Want It Darker, his fourteenth and final album, Cohen passed away at his Los Angeles residence. His death, occurring during the week in which Donald Trump was elected President, left the world heartbroken.
You Want It Darker had released on October 21, 2016 to universal critical acclaim. Offering a more acoustic sound, it featured the choir of the Shaar Hashomayim synagogue in Westmount, which Cohen had attended throughout his childhood.
In retrospect, You Want It Darker gives the impression that Cohen was reciting his own Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. Indeed, the Hebrew word Hineni, repeated throughout the title song, and the words “I’m ready, my Lord,” evoke a somber prophecy.
Cohen’s death was mourned around the world. In his singular way of expressing both melancholy and beauty, his remarkable ability to reinvent himself through poetry, song, and prayer, and his distinctive voice, Leonard Cohen produced a luminous body of work that has been celebrated worldwide for decades—and continues to inspire a host of artists through whom his memory lives on.
Through his poetry, novels, songs, and lyrics, Leonard Cohen expressed the complexities and desires of body and soul—a compelling metaphor for the twenty-first century Jewish experience. An observant Jew, Cohen also deeply explored Buddhism and various other worldviews. His commitment to questions of spirituality and existence shines through in songs such as “Suzanne,” “Bird on a Wire,” and “Hallelujah,” which masterfully combine mystery and universality with sacred and profane, and are now imprinted on our collective memory. Experience Cohen’s legacy like never before—through the eyes of contemporary artists George Fok, Judy Chicago, Candice Breitz, and Marshall Trammell.
Lead Sponsorship of Experience Leonard Cohen is generously provided by Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) thanks Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt, The Bernard Osher Foundation, Suzanne and Elliott Felson, the Irving and Eleanor Jaffe Foundation, the John Pritzker Family Fund, Taube Philanthropies, Kendra and Tom Kasten, Jessica Silverman, and Meyer Sound for generously supporting the exhibition.
Media Sponsorship is provided by the San Francisco Chronicle. In-kind support is provided by Where the Buffalo Roam.
George Fok, Passing Through, 2017. Multichannel video installation, black-and-white and colour with sound, 56 min., 15 sec. Installation view of the exhibition Leonard Cohen: A Crack in Everything presented at the Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, 2017–2018. Courtesy George Fok. Photo: George Fok