Jewish art in Germany

Artists during the Jewish Renaissance, such as Hermann Struck and Ludwig Meidner, shared their personal rediscovery of Jewishness through their art.


The Berlin graphic artist Struck drew portraits of Jews on commission by the German army on the Eastern Front during World War I; the collection was later published as "The Eastern Jewish Face." The Expressionist and portraitist Ludwig Meidner described his mystical experiences with art as well as with religion: his work was animated by both visions. Later, when many Jewish artists were forced into exile, portraiture often remained the most practical basis. The painter Eugen Spiro became a successful portraitist of the New York elite; the graphic artist and communist Lea Grundig sketched people in refugee camps in Haifa and exhibited her work in the camp laundries.

Jewish artists after the war seemed to lose interest in the face; instead, the focus shifted to the new homeland, the slow arrival in places of new, albeit still shaken, security. The painter and stage designer Erich Grandeit painted series of "Displaced Persons" in dreamlike Hamburg scenes. Vera Singer comprehensively documented the industrial site of Buna-Schkopau, painting herself among the workers there. In her new hometown of London, Hedi Schick painted exotic models in sensual, fantastical scenes. The last generation of Jewish artists we feature was born in the 1950s and 1960s and demonstrates a more relaxed attitude toward Jewishness; in the works of artists such as Pavel Feinstein and Michael Schnittmann, one sees a collection of portraits, biblical legends, and religious symbols that are open to interpretation.


OPENING RECEPTION on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 6 p.m. Lecture by Dr. Hermann Simon.


Exhibition from the 12th of September to 10th of October.

Opening hours:
Tues - Fri 2pm - 6pm
Sat 10am - 4pm