Curated by Stephanie Barron and Sabine Eckmann

Shortly after Hitler seized power in 1933, the former painter established the Reichskulturkammer, an organization whose stated purpose was to set legal guidelines on artistic practice. As the Führer’s power grew, so too did the number of artists and intellectuals in exile: Albers, Beckmann, Breuer, Chagall, Ernst, Mondrian, Schwitters, Gropius, van der Rohe. In “Exiles and Emigres,” LACMA senior curator Stephanie Barron (well known for her 1991 “‘Degenerate Art’: The Fate of the Avant-Garde in Nazi Germany” exhibition) and associate Sabine Eckmann examine the impact of this exile through the work of these and fourteen other Modern giants. To this end, the show assembles 130 pieces—architectural models, paintings, photos, and sculpture—along with documentation of relevant contextual material from the time. The accompanying catalogue marshals the efforts of nineteen writers (including Martin Jay, Romy Golan, and Lawrence Weschler). 2/23–5/11; travels to the Musée des Beaux Arts de Montreal, 6/19–9/7, and the Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, 10/9–1/4/98.

— Mark Van de Walle