In 1980, Andy Warhol released a portfolio Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century, dedicated a pantheon of great Jewish thinkers, politicians, performers, musicians, and writers.
Sarah Bernhardt’s portrait is featured alongside others such as Martin Buber, Louis Brandeis, Einstein, Sigmund Freud, George Gershwin, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Golda Meir, and Gertrude Stein.
Sarah Bernhardt was “the most famous actress the world had ever known.”
A darling of the Belle Epoch, Bernhardt made her name on the French stages in the 1870s, then began acting in the early film industry. In demand across Europe and the Americas, she was lauded for her serious, dramatic works, earning the nickname “The Divine Sarah.”
The collective achievement of these men and women have changed the course of history. Their work, much like Warhol's, has left an indelible impact on culture that continues to this day.