Art Treasures that defied Nazi Terror: The Story of Alfred, Thekla and Hans Hess and their Passion for German Expressionism – Lecture by Simon Lake

Franz Marc, Rote Frau, 1912, © New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester

12 Star Gallery, Europe House, 32 Smith Square, London

Ben Uri Gallery and Museum is delighted to present three free linked talks following on from the recent exhibition curated by the Ben Uri Research Unit, marking the contribution to art in Britain by the so-called ‘Hitler emigres’ on the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Second World War. A range of distinguished speakers engage with topics that continue to resonate deeply: identity, migration, displacement and internment – and the power of art to reflect and respond to these issues. Each talk will be preceded by refreshments and followed by an audience Q&A.

Art Treasures that defied Nazi Terror. The Story of Alfred, Thekla and Hans Hess and their Passion for German Expressionism.

Between the wars the Hess Collection was considered the greatest private collection of Expressionist art in Germany. The home of Alfred, Thekla and Hans Hess was filled with works by Feininger, Heckel, Pechstein and many others. Economic turmoil, the rise of Nazism and other factors witnessed the death of Alfred, breakup of the collection, and Thekla and Hans becoming émigrés to England in the 1930s.

Simon Lake: scholar, writer and recently retired senior curator of New Walk Museum and Gallery, Leicester.

Admission free