‘Selma’ exhibition by Israeli artist Leora Wise-Reich commemorates her grandmother Selma Reich

Leora Wise-Reich was unable to meet her grandparents Selma and Mayer Reich because they fell victim to the Holocaust. The couple ran a very popular shoe shop in Dessau for almost forty years until 1933. Their two children, Irma Reich (1908-1987) and Walter Reich (1914-1999), were born in Dessau. Selma and Mayer Reich, who were deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp in 1943, fell victim to the Holocaust. Their children survived.

Leora Wise-Reich, Walter Reich’s daughter, was born in Israel in 1953. She says about her art: “I am a narrative painter, printmaker and performer. My work is figurative and often based on myths, legends and family history. My images are innocent or enigmatic and open to interpretation, and often psychological and vulnerable.” Leora Wise-Reich has exhibited and worked in Israel and around the world.

One focus of her artistic work is her exploration of the life of her grandmother Selma Reich. The result is three impressive series of etchings and embroideries, which can be seen from 8 to 23 February 2025 in the Orangery at Georgium Palace in Dessau-Roßlau, supplemented by another touching series on family history. The vernissage on 7 February 2025 will take place in the presence of the artist Leora Wise-Reich.

The exhibition is supported by the state of Saxony-Anhalt via the project ‘’Mémoires croisées – sich erinnern – sich begegnen‘’, the city of Dessau-Roßlau and the Dessau-Roßlau municipal archive.