Celebrate the Launch of Hans Hess's Art Writings

Event Description

Don’t miss this chance to explore Hess’s enduring impact and Leicester’s extraordinary collection.

Join us on Saturday 28 June 2025, 5.30–7.30pm, at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery for an evening of art, history, and insight.

Entry is free (ticket only), with limited spaces—book early to secure your place. Guests will also enjoy exclusive access to the German Expressionist Gallery.

A paid bar will be available throughout the evening.

Don’t miss this chance to explore Hess’s enduring impact and Leicester’s extraordinary collection. A wonderful evening awaits!

Leicester’s unique status as a global hub for German Expressionism stems from a remarkable convergence: the courage of artists and collectors fleeing Nazism, the Museum’s ties to the Hess family, and the visionary leadership of director Trevor Thomas. As Dr Jill Lloyd has noted, it’s extraordinary that a provincial English museum became a sanctuary for these works—a story deserving worldwide acclaim.

Even more astonishing? In February 1944, amid the war’s darkest days, Thomas curated Mid European Art, aided by Tekla and Hans Hess, who knew the artists personally. This groundbreaking exhibition introduced Britain to masterpieces by Franz Marc, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, and others—works the Nazis condemned as "degenerate." While these artworks faced destruction or theft elsewhere, Leicester stood as a beacon of cultural defiance.

Hans Hess, a pivotal figure in this legacy, was hailed by Prof Christian Weikop as the man who “rescued German expressionism from oblivion.” A Marxist art historian, critic, museologist, curator and teacher, Hess’s writings—shaped by exile, imprisonment, and deep artistic connections—are now being published by Manifesto Press.

Volumes One and Two will be available to purchase (paperback £35 each or £65 for both; hardback £80 each or £150 for both), with Volume Three – Art and Ideology open for pre-order.

This book launch will be the first to be held outside of a major European capital city.

For more information about Hans Hess Selected Writings, click here

For more information on Leicester’s collection of German Expressionist works, click here

To book your ticket please return to the top of the page and the BOOK HERE button.

Please note that the carpark at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery is currently closed, however on street parking is available to the rear of the museum.

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