A note from Gustav Wolf containing thoughts on Manhattan (undated)
The painter and graphic artist Gustav Wolf emigrated from Germany to New York in 1938. His decision - which had a drastic effect on his work - was a direct consequence of the escalation of Nazi harassment and restrictions on Jews since 1933.
A piece of notepaper with some weary thoughts by Lili Schultz about bureaucracy (circa 1958)
Paper warfare in West Germany
Alfred Neumeyer: Letter to Oskar Kokoschka, carbon copy (8 February 1937)
In February 1937 Alfred Neumeyer thought that he would soon become personally acquainted with the painter Oskar Kokoschka. Neumeyer had asked the artist, who was living in exile in Prague, to conduct a summer school at Mills College in California.
Alfred Neumeyer: Magie, manuscript (Christmas 1945)
In June 1935, Alfred Neumeyer was excluded from the Reich Literature Chamber because of his Jewish ancestry. The Nazis had already tried to frustrate his promising initial success as an author.
British sketching permit for Helmut Krommer (4 March 1943)
Artist or Spy?Great Britain did not present a threat to Helmut Krommer’s well-being during the Second World War. However, without the support of the British authorities, he would have been unable to pursue his work as a freelance artist.
Emy Roeder: Letter to Otto Herbig (10 December 1942)
Sweets for the homelandBy late 1942 the sculptor Emy Roeder had lived for several years in Florence. A scholarship had brought her there in 1936 that allowed her to spend a year studying at the local Villa Romana.
Emy Roeder: letter to Otto Herbig (22 february 1943)
To receive a letter from a place where the fruit trees bloom in February and there was 30 degrees heat may have seemed odd to its Berlin recipient in the winter of 1943, during the war. Its author did not live there voluntarily however.
Ernst May: "Delamare Flats" residential complex (plans 1938-39)
"Frankfurt kitchen" in KenyaOne year after registering as an architect in Kenya Ernst May won the contract to design a residential complex in Nairobi. The so-called "Delamare Flats" were intended as attractive blocks of flats for Europeans living in Kenya.
Ernst May: Aga Khan girls' school in Kisumu (1949)
In 1949, Ernst May took on a construction project for the Ismaili religious community in his East African exile. He was charged with building a girls' school for the community in Kisumu on Lake Victoria.
Ernst May: certificate of registration as an architect in Kenya (1937)
Under the sign of the compasses againThree years after his emigration from German to Africa Ernst May, took an important step towards returning to his earlier vocation. On 30 June 1937 Kenya's Chamber of Architects and Surveyors confirmed his registration as an architect in the country with this certificate.
