Jewish Country Houses

urKultur is partnering with the University of Oxford on the major research programme led by historian, Professor Abigail Green and art historian Juliet Carey. The Jewish Country House Project aims to establish Jewish country houses as a site of European memory, and a significant aspect of European Jewish heritage and material culture. urKultur is working with the University of Oxford to develop a series of artistic commissions which serve to open the subject to a wider audience. These include special commissions have by artist Sophie von Hellermann and photographer Hélène Binet.

An exhibition of the new series by Hélène Binet focuses on the Jewish-owned, built, or renovated country houses. Featured properties range from Waddesdon Manor's playful historicism to Strawberry Hill's gothic charm, Villa Kérylos's ancient Greek reinvention, and Villa Tugendhat's modernist design. These houses, symbols of Jewish memory and identity, reflect a complex history of prejudice and integration, with many now serving as museums or hidden treasures. Binet's photographs offer a unique and poetic perspective. The exhibition will be presented at Strawberry Hill from September 19, 2024, to January 8, 2025, and at Waddesdon Manor from March 19 to June 22, 2025 and then touring throughout Europe. A new book "The Jewish Country Houses" will be published in November.