Rachel Stern2026-10-22T09:49:26-04:00October 22nd, 2026|Events, Lectures|
We cordially invite you to a cocktail reception at the home of Gary Zimmerman on Central Park South in NYC benefiting the Fritz Ascher Society for Persecuted, Ostracized and Banned Art. Join us for art, conversation and connection. *All food is certified Kosher Image above: Marc Chagall, Mockup for the backdrop of Stravinsky's Firebird, 1945. Gouache, india ink, pastel, colored pencil, and gold paper collage on paper mounted on japanese paper, 14 13/16 x 24 7/16 in. (37.7 x 62 cm). Collection du Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Pompidou, Paris © 2026 Marc Chagall / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris BUY TICKETS HERE We look forward to seeing and discussing art, [...]
Rachel Stern2026-10-22T00:23:24-04:00October 21st, 2026|Events, Lectures|
Locked away for decades following also a history of persecution, the drawings of the iconic 20th-century writer Franz Kafka remained one of the final unknowns of his work. In 2021, the literary scholar Andreas Kilcher brought them to light. Image above: Franz Kafka, Drawing of a whip-wielding jockey on a horse vaulting over an obstacle. Photograph: Ardon Bar-Hama. Max Brod Archive. The National Library of Israel REGISTER HERE Franz Kafka, Drawing of a male figure, entitled “The Dancer” by Kafka’s executor Max Brod. Photograph: Ardon Bar-Hama. Max Brod Archive. The National Library of Israel Franz Kafka, A Beggar and a Generous Elegant Man, 1906. Photograph: Ardon Bar-Hama. Max Brod [...]
Rachel Stern2026-10-16T09:08:13-04:00October 6th, 2026|Newsletter|
Dear friends and colleagues, Fall started with storms and rain turning sunny here in New York, and with an abundance of exciting events and exhibitions. SAVE THE DATE for a cocktail reception benefitting the Fritz Ascher Society on Monday, November 23rd at 5:30pm on Central Park South here in New York! What is the role of photography and art in transmitting historical truth, and when does telling the truth become an act of resistance? On October 14th, you can see the only known images captured from within a partisan camp in Pictures of Resistance: The Wartime Photography of Jewish Partisan Faye Schulman. Live-streaming from the UN, we'll commemorate the November Pogrom 1938 on November 4th with a discussion [...]
Rachel Stern2026-10-07T05:53:04-04:00October 5th, 2026|Events, Lectures|
The artist Armin Stern (1883–1944), born near Pressburg (now Bratislava), moved to Frankfurt in 1900 to study painting. Despite numerous travels and periods of study in Paris, Brittany, the Netherlands, and Ticino, Frankfurt remained the center of his life. After being excluded from an exhibition at the Frankfurt Kunstverein in 1933 because he was a "non-Aryan artist," he relocated with his family to Bratislava, which had by then become part of Czechoslovakia. Image above: Armin Stern, Ascona, 1928. Watercolor. Donated by the descendants of Armin Stern. Jewish Museum Frankfurt REGISTER HERE Armin Stern, Self-Portrait at the Easel, ca. 1930. Oil on painting board. Donated by the descendants of Armin Stern. Jewish [...]
Rachel Stern2026-10-15T06:34:32-04:00October 5th, 2026|Events, Lectures, Past Events|
In the forests of Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe, Jewish partisan Faye Schulman carried two extraordinary weapons: a rifle and a camera. After witnessing the murder of her family and the destruction of her community, she joined the partisans, documenting daily life, resistance, and survival. Her photographs—taken while living and fighting with a partisan unit—are the only known images captured from within a partisan camp. Image above: Faye Schulman, Forest near Lenin, Winter 1944. This presentation explores Schulman's remarkable life through her wartime photography, highlighting its historical significance and artistic legacy. Drawing from the Pictures of Resistance exhibition, participants will discover how her images challenge misconceptions about Jewish resistance during the Holocaust while serving as [...]
Rachel Stern2026-09-30T13:51:28-04:00September 1st, 2026|Events, Lectures, Past Events|
The architecture of the American Jewish community was transformed following World War II by émigré and refugee architects engaged to design synagogues and Jewish Community Centers. Image above: Hamden, CT, Mishkan Israel sanctuary, photo S. Gruber, 2011. Architects: Fritz Nathan and Bertram Bassuk, Ark: Ben Shahn, Stained Glass: Robert Pinart and Jean-Jacques Duval Eric Mendelsohn’s synagogues for St. Louis, Cleveland and elsewhere are well known but the work of Fritz Nathan, Mendelsohn’s German-Jewish contemporary, is virtually forgotten. Erich Mendelsohn, sketch for Congregation Bnai Amoona, St Louis, MO Erich Mendelsohn, Model for Congregation Bnai Amoona, St Louis, MO Nathan arrived in the United [...]
Rachel Stern2026-09-16T14:42:28-04:00September 1st, 2026|Events, Lectures, Past Events|
In her presentation, Dr. Miholca will spotlight the artistic and historical significance of Marcel Janco and the Romanian avant-garde group during a period of tremendous creative experimentation and productivity, when artists and writers merged their Jewish identity with the international identity they sought to foster through their network of dadaist and constructivist magazines. Janco, alongside other Romanian-Jewish artists like M. H. Maxy, Victor Brauner, Mattis Teutsch, and Benjamin Fondane, wished to capitalize on the Dada movement initiated by Janco and Tristan Tzara—alongside Hugo Ball, in Zurich, 1916—with their own avant-garde movement in Bucharest that mainly emerged through magazines such as Contimporanul (1922-1932), 75HP (1924) and Integral (1925-1928). The presentation will be followed by a conversation with Nicola Baird, PhD. [...]
Rachel Stern2026-08-13T07:03:53-04:00July 28th, 2026|Newsletter|
Dear Friends, Summertime! How do you recharge? Today we want to hear even more from you. Recently, we invited you to join us for New York in-person events - do you want to see more of that? Please share your ideas, opinions and thoughts in our first ever survey: ENTER THE SURVEY HERE Thank you for taking the time - we very much appreciate your feedback. This month, we invite you to meet Suzanne Loebl, who has a dramatic life story to tell, which informs her research interests: WEDNESDAY, August 12, 12:00PM ET online Lost and Sometimes Found: Suzanne Loebl’s Encounter with Nazi-Plundered Art and Its Sometime Restitution Suzanne [...]
Rachel Stern2026-06-30T12:04:40-04:00June 30th, 2026|Newsletter|
Dear friends, First of all: THANK YOU! A heartfelt thank you to those of you who responded so generously to help us continue and expand our work, and a heartfelt thank you to the anonymous sponsor who matched the donations. With your support, we will continue to bring to you buried art treasures and the stories of their creators in historical context. And now we are heading for the 250th birthday of the United States of America! Founded on the basis of an idea, we celebrate the double helix of American DNA: the Jeffersonian embrace of the enlightenment and Adam's emphasis not only on reason, but also on religion and tradition. We celebrate America as a work in [...]
Rachel Stern2026-06-09T07:08:31-04:00June 2nd, 2026|Newsletter|
Dear Friends, This month, the FIFA Soccer World Cup kicks off, and this year it is hosted in North America, with games - among them the final - being played "just across the bridge" in New Jersey. What does that have to do with us? Well, in 1916, the artist Fritz Ascher drew soccer players into one of his sketchbooks - most probably from direct observation. He captured a dramatic moment, when a player holds a shot on goal. He catches the ball with his hands, which identifies him as the opponent's goal keeper - regular players are not allowed to touch the ball with their hands. Fritz Ascher, Soccer Players, ca. 1916. Black ink [...]
Rachel Stern2026-05-21T07:16:30-04:00April 27th, 2026|Events, Lectures, Past Events|
In this online lecture Anne Uhrlandt will present the forgotten story of once prominent German Jewish artist and collector Eugen Spiro (April 18, 1874, Wrocław - September 26, 1972, New York City). During her two-year research project, Uhrlandt reconstructed the artist’s biography and the fate of his looted collection by bringing together evidence and sources from numerous international archives. Two case studies about specific stolen objects highlight the dramatic events following both s the Nazi government ‘s expulsion of Spiro from his profession, robbing him of his sources of income, and the theft of his art collection, which included both his own works of art and works of art by other artists. The case studies demonstrate the potential of [...]
Rachel Stern2026-06-24T13:42:59-04:00April 16th, 2026|Events, Lectures, Past Events|
The Restless Hungarian (2021) is a personal narrative set against the backdrop of the Hungarian Jewish diaspora, the rise of Modernism, and the Cold War. The film centers on Paul Weidlinger, one of the most important structural engineers of the twentieth century who created the strength behind iconic skyscrapers, churches, museums, embassies, and monumental sculptures by Picasso, Noguchi, and Dubuffet. Early in his career, he broke from mainstream modernism with his concept of the “Joy of Space”. Behind his professional success, however, was a deeply troubled private life marked by loss, denial, and family tragedy. As the filmmaker—his son—begins to explore Paul’s past, the story shifts into a deeply personal journey across continents, uncovering hidden Jewish roots and the family’s [...]
