Judith Hope Blau

Judith Hope Blau (April 5, 1938 – May 4, 2025) was an American painter, jewelry maker, writer, and toy designer.[1]

Early life and education

Blau was born in the Bronx. Her parents were dentist Samuel Ravinett and Evalynne (Korodsky) Ravinett, an entrepreneur who operated laundromats.[1]

Blau graduated from the University of Rochester with a fine-arts degree.[2] She also studied at Cornell University, Hunter College, and Columbia University.[1]

Career

Blau was a painter,[1] who then developed a necklace made from painted mini-bagels which became extraordinarily popular and was sold in stores, including Bloomingdale's.[3][1]

Blau published a children's book The Baker of Mulliner Lane in 1976. A review in The New York Times Book Review commented that her "illustrations start pleasantly muted but turn loony."[3]

She later branched out into toy design, developing several successful toys, including one that sold a million units for Hasbro in 1985.[1]

Personal life

She married Lawrence Blau, a nuclear physicist, in 1959,[1] and they had two children.[1] Her husband died in 2015.[4]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Green, Penelope. "Judith Hope Blau, Who Turned Bagels into Art, Dies at 87". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Dullea, Georgia (November 4, 1974). "Lowly Bagel Transformed By an Artist". The New York Times. p. 47. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Orgel, Doris (November 28, 1976). "Jewish Life in Legend". The New York Times Book Review. p. 41. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  4. ^ "Lawrence M. Blau '59". Princeton Alumni Weekly. October 21, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
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