When does the exhibition start?

The exhibition starts on November 29, 2026, at 2 PM at the Jewish Museum Franken in Fürth.

How long will the exhibition be on display?

The exhibition is scheduled to run from November 27, 2026, to March 28, 2027.

What is the admission fee?

The regular admission for the permanent and temporary exhibition at the Jewish Museum Franken in Fürth is 8 Euros. Discounts and free entries apply according to the museum's conditions.

When is the Jewish Museum Franken in Fürth open?

The museum is normally open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Is the museum accessible for people with disabilities?

The new building of the museum is wheelchair accessible. The historic old building is only partially accessible; several levels are reachable by elevator, while the ritual bath and sukkahs are only accessible by stairs.

How do I reach the museum by public transportation?

You can reach the museum by subway on the U1 line to Fürth Rathaus station.

Seeing and Being Seen: Jewish Portraits Tell Stories, Identity, and New Life Paths

Name: Seeing and Being Seen – Portraits of Jewish Personalities from the 18th to 20th Century
Start: 2026-11-29T14:00:00+01:00
End: 2027-03-28T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Jüdisches Museum Franken

Between Gaze and Counter-Gaze: Jewish Personalities in Portrait

The temporary exhibition Seeing and Being Seen at the Jewish Museum Franken in Fürth focuses on selected portraits of Jewish personalities from Franconia from the 18th to the 20th century. Entrepreneurs, rabbis, artists, women, and children emerge from the images and tell stories of identity, attitude, self-assertion, and individual life paths.

Portraits as Testimonies of Jewish Life Worlds

Each portrait opens an encounter between the depicted person and the observing audience. The exhibition questions how people are seen and how they want to be seen. In this aesthetic experience, personal history, social change, and the cultural significance of Jewish self-positioning are interconnected.

The exhibited works come from loans and donations from the USA, England, Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany. Their international origins point to far-reaching biographies and the intertwining of Jewish life worlds beyond Franconia.

Between Tradition and New Beginnings

The portraits reflect an era in which traditional bonds, social upheavals, and new life plans converged. Clothing, body posture, gaze direction, and composition become art-historically readable signs. In the examination of the works, it becomes apparent how painting, graphics, and photographic imagery make social status, religious affiliation, and personal dignity visible.

Art Historical Contextualization and Cultural Education

The exhibition combines art historical analysis with questions of culture of remembrance. The portrait appears not only as a depiction but as a cultural construction: it preserves facial features, creates public visibility, and shapes ideas of personality. The curation directs attention to the tension between external perception and self-image, making the exhibits starting points for cultural education.

An Exhibition with a Sensory Atmosphere

A quiet artistic experience emerges in the exhibition rooms, inviting concentrated viewing. Faces, gestures, and gazes emerge from the historical context and simultaneously seem immediate. The juxtaposition of different generations and life concepts creates a dense spatial effect and encourages visitors to reflect on their own perception.

Conclusion: History Meets Today's View

Seeing and Being Seen welcomes art enthusiasts with a multifaceted portrait exhibition about Jewish personalities from Franconia. The exhibition combines historical documents, aesthetic experience, and social reflection. A visit to the Jewish Museum Franken enriches perspectives on Jewish life, memory, and representation and opens new perspectives on the art of portraiture.