German Expressionism: The Leicester Museums and Galleries’ Collection

German Expressionism: The Leicester Museums and Galleries’ Collection explores the extraordinary journey of these art works from Nazi Germany to Leicester. It tells the story of the Hess family and of an enlightened attitude in Leicester towards modern art, during a critical period of British History.  

Edited by James Glennie and Nicola Stratton Tyler, this illustrated book features artworks by renowned Expressionist artists including Franz Marc and Wassily Kandinsky, founders of the influential Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group, as well as Paul Klee, Gabriele Münter, Lyonel Feininger and Lotte Laserstein. 

It is the legacy of Museum Director Trevor Thomas, whose 1944 wartime exhibition ‘Mid European Art’ was the first major exhibition in Britain of German Impressionism and Expressionism.