CBH Talk | Simon and Simone Dinnerstein Discuss Art, Place and Imagination in the Work “Nocturne”

Simon Dinnerstein’s 1982 painting Nocturne is a quiet but powerful breakthrough. The work portrays a newly arrived Polish immigrant seated before a window that opens onto a row of Brooklyn brownstones. The solid band of townhouses grounds the scene in the borough’s built environment, while an upper register of dreamlike vignettes—church towers, tree-lined streets, Polish heraldry—unfolds the subject’s inner life. Together, these elements capture the emotional complexity of displacement: the pull of memory and homeland set against the steady presence of a new place.

Currently on view through March 30 in the Center for Brooklyn History’s Centering Collections exhibition, Nocturne serves as the starting point for a rare and intimate conversation between Dinnerstein and his daughter, acclaimed pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Together they will reflect on the pivotal role of Nocturne in Dinnerstein’s artistic evolution, the stories behind its creation, and the dreamlike works that followed. They will explore Brooklyn as both muse and home, its brownstones, streets, and people, and as a lifelong creative community that has shaped Dinnerstein’s work. The evening includes an opportunity for a final, close look at Nocturne on its last day on view, guided by Dinnerstein and the CBH curatorial team.