Café Magnétique: Import/Export (in German and French)

About

At the start of the twentieth century, the city of Paris was like a magnet for European artists. Many of them, and in particular, Jewish artists from Eastern Europe, were fleeing perse­cution and poverty, or emig­rating in search of a new creative start. Through this, a lively art scene deve­loped in Paris, which not only thrived on the artistic import of the new­comers, but soon exported its ideas of art and intellectual exchange to the whole world. The art of the École de Paris became the epitome of European modernity.

In the first part of the event series Café Magnétique, Sophie Krebs, head curator of the City of Paris Museum of Modern Art, will discuss the magnetic effect Paris had on European artists. Art historian Annabel Ruckdeschel will then consider the École de Paris from the other side: How did artists transport these artistic ideals from Paris to Italy, the USA and Brazil, estab­lishing the image of Modern Art in the process?

Café Magnétique: Parisian cafés functioned as places to meet people and gather together on a daily basis, and often also served as a first port of call for new arrivals. They were the parlors and work spaces 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 the Jewish Museum Berlin’s Glass Courtyard, inviting you to exchange ideas about the École de Paris over food and drinks. Please note: The first part of the event series (Café Magnétique: Import/Export) will take place in the Great Hall of the Jewish Museum Berlin (Old Building, level 2).