Aerial view of the Felix Nussbaum Haus
Inside the contemporary building is a large, well-lit gallery, representing Nussbaum's comfortable upbringing and artistic success, that houses his early work. But by 1933, it was no longer safe for Jews to live and work in Germany, so Nussbaum fled and spent the next decade in exile and in hiding. Paintings from 1933 onward hang in a dim, narrow space similar to the claustrophobic attics and basements where Nussbaum was forced to work. This gallery ends abruptly, as did the artist's life (he was deported to Auschwitz, where he died in 1944). Like Nussbaum's life, the visitor's tour comes to a dead end, explaining Libeskind's title for the project "Museum ohne Aussgang," or "Museum without Exit."

© Bitter & Bredt. Reproduced with the permission of Studio Daniel Libeskind