Fritz Ascher Society
LOVE AND BETRAYAL – The Expressionist Fritz Ascher from New York Private Collections
November 8, 2024 – March 2, 2025
Haus der Graphischen Sammlung, Freiburg, Germany
Haus der Graphischen Sammlung
Salzstraße 34, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
The late Expressionist artist Fritz Ascher (1893-1970) survived two world wars and persecution by the National Socialist regime. A close observer of the horrors of World War I and revolutionary unrest, he turned to Christian spiritual themes, which he radically reinterpreted. In intimate drawings, he dealt with the theme of love and betrayal from 1916 onward, both in his exploration of the crucifixion theme and with the figure of Bajazzo in the tragicomic opera "I Pagliacci." Ascher's strong and unique artistic voice is evident not only in his artwork, but also in his poems. These were written when he was no longer allowed to work under National Socialism because of his Jewish roots and as a representative of modernism, [...]
SURVIVAL AND INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY:
The Arts of Alice Lok Cahana, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana and Kitra Cahana
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, Portland, Oregon
Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education
724 NW Davis St, Portland, OR, United States
Survival and Intimations of Immortality: The Art of Alice Lok Cahana, Rabbi Ronnie Cahana, and Kitra Cahana is a unique and powerful exhibition that explores the role of art and creativity, bringing the past into the present by focusing on three generations of artists from the same family. Alice Lok Cahana (1929-2017) was a Holocaust survivor who pledged she would become an artist if she survived the war. Rabbi Ronnie Cahana, Alice’s oldest son, is a poet and survivor of a major stroke. Kitra Cahana, Ronnie’s daughter, is a filmmaker and photographer. This exhibition reveals how the tragedy of the Holocaust impacted multiple generations of a family and how each member transformed the destructive trauma of the Shoah into [...]
Plunderer. The Life and Time of a Nazi Art Thief
Screening followed by Q+A with producer John Friedman
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, New York
Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
334 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY, United States
Hermann Goering’s art dealer, Bruno Lohse, prospered by selling stolen art for decades after WWII, while Jewish families struggled to regain their paintings and memories. Captured and interrogated by the Monuments Men after the war, he served a brief prison sentence. After his release, he dealt profitably in stolen art for sixty years after the war, selling to collectors, galleries, and major museums. Highlighting stories of Holocaust survivors working to reclaim their families' lost artworks, Plunderer reveals the failures of post-war justice and the continuing complicity of governments and the art trade. Screening followed by Q+A with producer John Friedman. In partnership with The Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art. Director: Hugo Macgregor Year: 2024 Runtime: [...]
Signs and Wonders. A Conversation between Author Melvin Jules Bukiet and Artist David Stern
ONLINE VA, United StatesJoin us for an insightful conversation between acclaimed author Melvin Jules Bukiet and renowned artist David Stern, marking the 25th anniversary of the publication of Signs and Wonders. Published in 1999, Bukiet’s novel tells the story of twelve prisoners on a barge in the late 20th century, freed by a violent storm and embarking on a symbolic pilgrimage through Germany as the millennium approaches. As their journey unfolds, their leader, Ben Alef, is seen by some as the next Messiah—invoking powerful themes of hope, identity, and transcendence. In this conversation, Bukiet and Stern will delve into Bukiet’s books and explore the relationship between art and reality—does art need to reflect lived experiences to be authentic? How do personal histories shape [...]
Love and Betrayal. The German-Jewish artist Fritz Ascher (1893-1970)
A presentation by Rachel Stern, organized by Saint Elizabeth University, Morristown (NJ)
ONLINE
VA, United States
Rachel Stern will present insights into the art and life of the German-Jewish artist Fritz Ascher and the mission of The Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art. Introduced by Richard Quinlan, Director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education at Saint Elizabeth University in Morristown (NJ). Fritz Ascher (1893-1970), a painter, graphic artist, and poet, was recommended to the art academy in Königsberg by the renown German painter Max Liebermann at the age of 16. From 1913 onwards, he gained recognition as a painter in Berlin. Ascher was a keen observer of his era; the devastation of World War I and the revolutionary turmoil in Berlin inspired him to explore Christian and mystical themes, which [...]