Two exhibitions at Burgh House will spotlight the creativity of Hampstead women who sought refuge in the UK during the turbulent years of the 1930s.

Street photographs by Dorothy Bohm, and expressionist paintings by Marie-Louise von Motesiczky go on show at the Hampstead Museum and Gallery this month.

Both were of Jewish heritage and had to leave their homelands as the Nazis seized power, with Motesiczky fleeing Vienna with her mother in 1938, and Bohm travelling with her brother Igor from Lithuania in 1939 to boarding school in England.

This Is Local London: Dorothy Bohm's photographs including this one taken in Hampstead, often captured women of different ages and their changing livesDorothy Bohm's photographs including this one taken in Hampstead, often captured women of different ages and their changing lives (Image: Estate of Dorothy Bohm)

As her train was pulling out of the station, Bohm's father hung his Leica camera around his 15-year-old daughter's neck. She went on to study photography and set up her own portrait studio in Manchester, before enjoying an extraordinary career as a trailblazing street photographer, and co- founder of The Photographer's Gallery.

Motesiczky was already a painter when she arrived in England, having studied under Max Beckmann in Frankfurt, and enjoyed a solo show in Holland.

Marie-Louise and her mother Henriette settled in Hampstead in 1948. The artist went on to exhibit in Germany, Holland, the UK and Austria, before her death in 1996 at the age of 90.

This Is Local London: Marie-Louise von Motesiczky was unusual in painting the inner and daily lives of women working or taking part in activitiesMarie-Louise von Motesiczky was unusual in painting the inner and daily lives of women working or taking part in activities (Image: Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust)

Bohm settled in Hampstead in 1958 with husband Louis, and remained until her death in March 2023 at the age of 98.

Both women lost close relatives in the Holocaust, and with themes of resilience, identity, and the power of creativity, the dual Burgh House shows explore their artistic legacies as reflections of their personal journeys, and the wider experiences of women in the 20th Century.

Motesiczky's paintings explore the personal, public, and inner lives of women and provide a fascinating comparison to Bohm's visual narrative of their evolution from the social upheavals of the interwar period, to the transformative post-war era.

This Is Local London: Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Nudes at Hampstead PondMarie-Louise von Motesiczky Nudes at Hampstead Pond (Image: Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Charitable Trust)

In (in) Visible Women, Marie-Louise von Motesiczky's vibrant expressionist paintings offer a poignant exploration of the rich everyday lives of women as lovers, carers and individuals engaged in a variety of activities as dressmakers, florists and dog groomers, or attending lectures, restaurants and the theatre.

From literal depictions of everyday scenes, to fantastical explorations of inner emotions, her brushstrokes made a significant contribution to the visibility of women’s lives in a way that was then rare in the art world. She offered examples of women’s experiences through different life stages while shining a light on the intimacy and camaraderie of their relationships with each other.

Although she travelled widely, Bohm rarely moved about her own neighbourhood without her camera, and her lens captures the spirit and strength, changing lives and styles of women of different ages, providing a nuanced perspective on feminine identity over seven decades in photographs that are warm, intimate, candid and sometimes wry.This Is Local London: Bohm's lens captured women over seven decades in images that are intimate, candid and often wryBohm's lens captured women over seven decades in images that are intimate, candid and often wry (Image: Estate of Dorothy Bohm)

Commenting on her work, Bohm said: “My idea was to portray women so that viewers could see what I could see, that women were changing”.

About Women: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm is a centenary exhibition, presented in collaboration with Bohm's art historian daughter Monica Bohm-Duchen, and the first to focus exclusively on Bohm's photographs of women - building on the book ‘About Women’ (published 2015).

In addition to the two exhibitions, Burgh House will unveil a rehang of its collection that focuses on  the diverse experiences of individuals who sought refuge in Hampstead during times of crisis, further enriching the narrative of Hampstead's rich tapestry of heritage and culture.This Is Local London: Dorothy Bohm lived in Hampstead from 1958 until her death last March aged 98.Dorothy Bohm lived in Hampstead from 1958 until her death last March aged 98. (Image: Estate of Dorothy Bohm)

Curator of Burgh House, Sophie Richards, said: “Once you start looking for it you realise how rare it is to see women of all ages in artworks living full, interesting, everyday lives. For me that is what makes the works of Motesiczky and Bohm so important. Both artists highlight everyday experiences of women, and with such poignancy and wit. I am delighted that the 2024 season at Burgh House will not only be celebrating these women, émigré, artists, but making visible the lives and experiences of the women they depicted.” 

About Women: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm and Marie-Louise von Motesiczky: (in)Visible Women run from March 7 to December 15 at Burgh House.