Forgotten female designers return to the public eye: From 11 July to 23 November, the Jewish Museum Berlin presents the exhibition ‘Defiance. Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era Exhibition’ – the first comprehensive group show worldwide dedicated to Jewish female designers of the early 20th century.
With around 300 exhibits by over 60 female designers, the exhibition showcases the artistic and entrepreneurial achievements of women such as Anni Albers, Friedl Dicker, Maria Luiko, Emmy Roth, Irene Saltern and Tom Seidmann-Freud, despite their social marginalisation and the growing threat of anti-Semitism. The exhibition documents how these pioneering women asserted their identities as women, Jews and artists during a period of profound emancipation and modernisation in Germany, until the Nazi regime destroyed their careers and lives.
A Diverse Panorama of Applied Arts
With great attention to detail, the exhibition showcases the aesthetic quality of the works and the production conditions under which they were created. The broad spectrum encompasses textile and goldsmith art, ceramics, wood carving, fashion and graphic art. While some artists found new beginnings abroad after emigrating, many were forgotten and excluded from German art and cultural history. This exhibition restores the designers to their rightful place.
Curated by Michal Friedlander and made possible by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds, the exhibition is supported by the David Berg Foundation and accompanied by a catalogue published by Hirmer Verlag.
Defiance. Jewish Women and Design in the Modern Era
Jüdisches Museum Berlin
11 July – 23 November 2025
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