The Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig is reminding us of forgotten Jewish families and collectors whose lives and work were extinguished under National Socialism.
Since the 19th century, Jewish Leipzig citizens havealsoshapedthe MdbK with their social and cultural commitment. Under National Socialism, they were disenfranchised, persecuted, expelled and murdered, and their contribution was forgotten. The museum has therefore joined forces with artist Shlomit Lehavi and publicist Sharon Adler to search for traces in order to bring the names and stories of these protagonistsback into the public consciousness.
The biographies of 28 individuals and families were researched in a project lasting several years. The focus is on Wilhelm Breslauer, Hermann and Toni Halberstam, Cläre Kirstein, Moritz Kraemer and Laura Sonntag, whose lives and commitment are exemplary of the cultural activities of Jewish families in Leipzig. As an artistic intervention, Shlomit Lehavi created the installation Leerstellen Sichtbarmachen. It stands opposite the mosaic of donors in the museum foyer and expands it to include the perspective of Jewish patrons. Digital drawings on a transparent screen create a new place of remembrance that links past and present.
The reconstructed biographies can also be experienced on site and online as text and audio. In this way, Sharon Adler lends her voice to the forgotten Leipzig families and makes their stories audible again. The project raises awareness of the fact that Leipzig's Jewish citizens were once an indispensable part of cultural life - and that their absence still leaves noticeable gaps today.
October 30, 2025 to June 28, 2026
