At the beginning of the 20th century, Leipzig was an economically and culturally prosperous metropolis, and Jewish families were important figures in the cultural life of the city – that is, until they were, as result of the horrors and crimes of National Socialism, almost forgotten entirely. For over two years now, the MdbK has been conducting intensive research into these figures and their forgotten involvement. For the first time, the museum is honouring the outstanding contribution of Jewish families to the visual arts in Leipzig in the form of an exhibition.
With the founding of the Israelitische Religionsgemeinde in 1847, Leipzig’s Jewish population grew steadily until it reached more than 13,000 in 1925. This meant that Leipzig represented the sixth largest Jewish community in Germany. A pronounced culture of art collecting led to extensive and outstanding private collections, and Jewish families supported artists and museums in the city with their generous patronage. When the National Socialists came to power in 1933, members of the Jewish families, as well as those categorized as Jewish under the antisemitic laws, were disenfranchised, persecuted, robbed, deported and murdered.
Art Within Four Walls presents paintings, sculptures and works on paper from the private collections of eleven Jewish families from Leipzig: Erna and Wilhelm Breslauer, Antonie (Toni) and Hermann Halberstam, Franziska and Max Heilpern, Margarete and Max Hermann Heine, Martha and Henri Hinrichsen, Clara (Cläre) and Gustav Kirstein, Moritz Kraemer, Karl Lilienfeld, Marie and Friedrich Nachod, Laura (Lore) and Carl Sonntag, and the brothers Moritz and Julius Ury. The biographies of these families are closely interwoven with the history of the MdbK.
Their collections include artworks from French and German Impressionism, Classical Modernism, and other outstanding representatives of 19th- and 20th-century art. The collections thus reflect stylistically the spectrum of bourgeois culture.
At the same time, the collectors supported artists, maintained friendships with them and with each other and were, in some cases, even related. Together they were actively involved in cultural associations and clubs, forming a closely knit community with common interests. The exhibition explores the themes of art reception, the art market and art patronage through individual biographies, shedding light on their complex interrelationships. Historical photos, publications and archival materials complement the artworks, telling the stories of the lives of the various families and their members.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony and the non-profit Hertie Foundation. A cooperation with ‘Tacheles – Year of Jewish Culture in Saxony 2026’.
