Opening of exhibition: “…mehr vorwärts als rückwärts schauen…” – Das deutschsprachige Exil in Brasilien 1933–1945.
Press release: 2.10.2013
The German Exile Archive 1933-1945 of the German National Library is running the “…mehr vorwärts als rückwärts schauen…” – Das deutschsprachige Exil in Brasilien 1933-1945 “…olhando mais para frente do que para trás…” – O exílio de língua alemã no Brasil 1933–1945 exhibition from 8 October 2013 to 31 May 2014. The exhibition is being officially opened at 19:00 on Monday 7 October in the presence of Caio Koch-Weser, Vice Chairman of Deutsche Bank AG.
Stefan Zweig was just one of roughly 16,000 to 19,000 German-speaking exiles who sought refuge in Brazil from 1933 to 1945. The exhibition, developed by the German Exile Archive 1933-1945 in collaboration with Marlen Eckl, presents the histories of those who fled from National Socialism, focusing above all on their integration into Brazilian society. It features 150 objects, documents, pictures and sound recordings, some of which have never been publicly displayed. It examines the refugee Jewish communities, their political activities and the establishment of settlement projects such as Rolândia and Terra Nova, and also the activities of the NSDAP-AO in Brazil.
Framed within the political and historical contexts of Brazil and Germany in the 1930s and 1040s, it explores the work of the refugees in the cultural, scientific and business life of the country and also their cultural dialogue with Brazilian intellectuals and artists. The main focuses of the exhibition are on the cultural works, the influence of the exiles on Brazil and their role as bridge-builders between the two cultures.
The exhibition can be viewed as part of the 2013/2014 Year of Germany in Brazil from 29 October 2013 in the Brazilian National Library in Rio de Janeiro and subsequently in other Brazilian cities. The bilingual book to accompany the exhibition is published by Hentrich & Hentrich.
“…mehr vorwärts als rückwärts schauen… ” – Das deutschsprachige Exil in Brasilien 1933–1945
Exhibition at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main
8 October 2013 to 31 May 2014
Monday - Thursday 12:00 - 20:00, Friday 12:00 - 18:00, Saturday 12:00 - 17:00
Closed on Sundays and public holidays and from 24 December 2013 until 1 January 2014. Admission is free of charge.
Guided tour for press
7 October, 11:00
Exhibition opening
at 19:00 on 7 October 2013
Supporting programme
11 October, 19:00
“Kurt Klagsbrunn. Fotograf im Land der Zukunft” book presentation with the nephew of the emigrant Austrian photographer Victor Hugo Klagsbrunn and the well-known Brazilian author Luis S. Krausz
18 February 2014, 19:00
Actor Jochen Nix reads texts written by German-speaking exiles in Brazil
21/22 February 2014
Symposium “Kunst und Gesellschaft zwischen den Kulturen. Die Kunsthistorikerin Hanna Levy-Deinhard im Exil und ihre Aktualität heute” in cooperation with Irene Below
Guided tour of the exhibition with the curator
11.10. / 26.11. / 11.12.2013
22.1. / 18.2. / 29.4. / 22.5.2014 at 18:00 on all days.
Background
The German Exile Archive 1933 - 1945 is located at the Frankfurt site of the German National Library. It is tasked with collecting all books and brochures written and published abroad between 1933 and 1945 by German-speaking emigrants in the fields of literature, politics, science and Jewish emigration. Also included are magazines published by exiles. Further collection categories are the personal estates of German-speaking emigrants and the archives of exile organisations.
The German Exile Archive 1933-1945 of the German National Library was founded shortly after the War by exiled writers and publicists. The first books in the Frankfurt collection were gifts from emigrants. Holding collections of exile publications and personal estates, the German Exile Archive is dedicated to safeguarding and preserving publications and unprinted testimonies relating to German-speaking emigration. With its events, exhibitions and guided tours, it plays a significant role in actively communicating the preserved past, helping to bring it alive and to restore to the collective cultural memory what was forgotten due to exile and emigration.
The German Exile Archive 1933-1945 of the German National Library was requested by the Federal Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs, Bernd Neumann, to assume overall control of coordinating the “Arts in Exile” virtual exhibition and network which illustrates the exile of artists in its myriad forms. The first modules of this new exhibition format went online on 18 September and they will be on display until the end of 2014. More than 25 network partners will be contributing to the ongoing expansion of the exhibition during this period.
Contact person
Contact: s.jockel@dnb.de
