
Exhibition
Paris Magnétique. 1905–1940
25 Jan 2023 – 01 May 2023
Jüdisches Museum Berlin
Berlin, Germany
6 €, reduced rate 3 €
Registration via ticket shop.
In the third part of this series, film and literary scholar Cathy Gelbin will explore the concept of cosmopolitanism in the context of European-Jewish history. Julia Friedrich (JMB) will then talk about the painter Otto Freundlich.
Cosmopolitanism is the central concept in contemporary debates about the École de Paris. For the supporters of the “École”, the internationality of the artists, its very cosmopolitanism, was proof that Paris was world leader for art. For their opponents, the term cosmopolitanism expressed the aversion to internationalism and the supposed “Jewishness” they projected onto the “École”.
In the third part of the event series Café Magnétique, film and literary scholar Cathy Gelbin (connected digitally) will explore the concept of cosmopolitanism in the context of European-Jewish history. Julia Friedrich, director of collections at the JMB, will then talk about the painter Otto Freundlich, whose works are exhibited both in the Paris Magnétique exhibition and the JMB’s permanent exhibition, and asks: Can one speak of a “cosmopolitan” here?
Parisian cafés functioned as places to meet people and gather together on a daily basis, and often also as a first port of call for new arrivals. They were the parlors and studies of many artists and were essential for the self-organization of migrants in a new, foreign environment: The cafés were used to establish contacts, find rooms and studios, and to prepare exhibitions. Famous Parisian cafés such as the Café de Dôme in Montparnasse were the hub of the migrant and particularly the Jewish-influenced art scene, which soon became known as the École de Paris. The Café Magnétique series revives the Parisian cafés in JMB’s Glass Courtyard, inviting you to exchange ideas about the École de Paris over food and drinks.
Have you been to this event? Share your insights and give it a review below.