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Exploring a century of émigré history in London through the hidden treasures of the Ben Uri Collections

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Your Stories

Josef Herman, RefugeesIn 1915, a group of Jewish émigrés from London’s East End formed a society to support art and creativity

Over the next 100 years, we will continue to nurture creativity in the community, exploring the themes of identity and migration. We have many stories to tell. Explore our art, archives and blogs to make comments and perhaps share some stories of your own.

Our community partners have also explored their story through ours – see their work for inspiration. Tell us how art has touched your life and community by completing this online form or on Facebook and Twitter.

Here are some of your thoughts and stories so far!

  • From Charity on Submit your story

    fab collection

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  • From Frankie heywood on La Soubrette (Waiting Maid)

    This is a great piece by Soutine – I think he is one of the 20th Century’s best artists. There are not many works by Soutine in the UK, so it’s good to have one in the BenUri collection. Especially given his biography.
    A further point: whilst I can understand BenUri’s commitment to exploring artists’ experiences of displacement and loss, I hope it will not lose the focus on the essential (for me) core of the project: that of the Jewish history.
    I enjoyed the exhibition at Somerset House, but was somewhat dismayed by the video, which seemed to confirm my anxieties about the loss of focus, and I was surprised that the speakers included someone who I would consider racist.

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  • From Susanna Rance on Submit your story

    Had to return to this exhibition in the context of the current refugee and migrant crisis. My maternal grandfather was a refugee from Vienna to London in 1939. He got a US visa and went there first doing military service in California. He became an eminent architect historian at Columbia University. I come for him and for all forced into exile, following refugee and migrant paths, those who survived their journeys and those who died. Ben Uri may continue to travel just as our causes and spirits and lives and art do. May its transient homes and visitors be full of open hearts and minds. Thank you.

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    • From marielle on Submit your story

      I rly like this it is very deep and meaningful
      U rly get what the artist is trying to capture and the power it gives

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  • From Annette on Submit your story

    it grieves me to think that Josef Hermans 1941 painting of refugees is a spitting image of the pictures we see today of people fleeing from Saria and too many other places. Iet us all work towards a better world.

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  • From Ollie on Submit your story

    fab exhibition. Really love the merrygoround!

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  • From Janet kalay on Submit your story

    fantastic exhibition

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  • From Gillian Solomon on My Grandfather in Auschwitz

    This is an unusual image , it remembers a loved and lost family member without omitting the detail of Auschwitz . Images of the Holocaust are rare . It seems that people who have experienced this trauma find it imposible to depict , without the images being bleak visceral difficult. This combination of personal care and love, as well as pain and distress is a difficult and complex fusion . I find the central figure tender and simplified , it’s quite carefully thought out and expressed , as well as the forlorn little female figure at bottom left.

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  • From Bethany on Submit your story

    Lovely and powerful exhibition, thank you for sharing!

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  • From Runny Egg on Submit your story

    not super keen on the grating middle class accents from the curators on the audio guides. Would have been interesting to hear from some of the people affected or related to those involved in migration, etc.

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  • From Ada on Submit your story

    i thought this exhibition on immigrants and the culture surrounding them to be very relevant to the london life. It should be better advertised so more people could be aware of the importance of multiculturalism. Thank you for your work!

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  • From Sebastian Saikia on Submit your story

    interesting gallery, much better than my mum told me it would be thank you very much for dupplying this’entertainment’ haha im rambling on now but yes thank you very muc i love west ham amd this galler is ham

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  • From Raju Shah on Self-Portrait with Pipe

    This is a great self portrait of Fred Feigl

    My late wife, Usha used to paint with him in 1959-1964. He did a portrait of my late wife before we got married in 1962!. We have several of his works in the house which we enjoy.

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  • From Barrie Davis on Submit your story

    Museum of migration. Polical correctness gone mad. Why destroy the wonderful museum of Jewish art?

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  • From Beom on Submit your story

    It’s very gorgious and beutiful paintings.
    Hope is goes well forever

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  • From Unknown on Submit your story

    Great exhibition! Thank you 🙂

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