;estival to celebrate refugee contribution
by Lucian Freud, whose grandfather, Sigmund, fled to the UK from Vienna in 1938
A YEAR-LONG nationwide arts festival will take place from March 2019 to March 2020 to celebrate the refugees that came to the UK from Nazi Europe and their impact on British culture.
The festival, called Insiders/Outsiders, will offer exhibitions, concerts, dance and theatre performances, film screenings, walks, lectures and literary events across the UK.
Initiated by art historian Monica Bohm-Duchen, it will highlight the contributions of the artists, writers, designers, actors, film-makers, dancers and musicians — as well as publishers, art historians, dealers and collectors — who, after fleeing Nazi-dominated Europe in the 1930s and 1940s, enriched British culture.
The festival programme will examine these émigrés’ ongoing influence on Britain’s cultural landscape, and feature work by their descendants, exploring their families’ legacies.
Jewish former refugees who will be honoured during the year-long event include László Moholy-Nagy, Lucie Rie, Annely Juda, Josef Herman and Hans Keller.
Ms Bohm-Duchen said: “This festival will pay tribute to a disappearing generation and ensure their achievements and immense creativity are remembered.
“It will also honour those Britishborn individuals who, in welcoming and working with these émigrés, chose openness and internationalism.”