The exhibition displays objects that have entered the museum over the decades and have been classified as part of the ‘Jewish collection’. What can be said about their origins, significance and creation? And what personal stories are associated with them?
The focus is on items from the collection of the Hamburg Society for Jewish Folklore that were long believed to have been lost. Ten of these objects have been back in the museum since 1991. The exhibition also examines the very concept of ‘Jewishness’ itself, as conveyed through collecting and exhibiting.
The findings of provenance research carried out at the MARKK on Nazi-looted artefacts are also incorporated into the exhibition, drawing attention to contemporary issues and perspectives.
Overall, the exhibition raises questions about the museum’s history and its stance during the Nazi era. How were staff affected by policies of persecution and expropriation, and how did the museum benefit from these policies up to 1945 and thereafter?
