Temporary exhibition

The town swarmed with culture
Amersham’s wartime creative émigré community

Saturday 25 July – Sunday 13 December 2026

Marie-Louise von Motesiczky Gallery

From the 1930s, refugees from Nazi Europe made their homes in Amersham. By the 1940s, the town had become a vibrant hub of artistic life, shaped by a remarkable community of émigrés.

This exhibition highlights three women artists who lived locally: Russian-born photographer Laelia Goehr, Czech sculptor Mary Duras, and Austrian painter Marie-Louise von Motesiczky. Their work is shown alongside stories of the wider circle of musicians, writers, and visitors who brought new creative energy to the area.

Alongside this is a contemporary film which seeks to convey the trauma suffered by refugees. dis-placed by Helen Henderson is inspired by her own family’s story, fleeing Russia soon after the revolution in 1918, and settling in Great Missenden.

The exhibition features a soundtrack with a wide range of music performed and composed by Amersham-based musicians, including Italian-born Francisco Ticciati, Walter Goehr, and Allan Gray.

Despite the challenges of exile, this emigre community helped transform Amersham into a place that, in the words of one contemporary, “swarmed with culture.”