Lette Valeska fled the Nazi invasion of Europe in 1937—losing family, business, and home. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1939, she began to rediscover her talents and Jewish history.
Hollywood producer David O. Selznick hired her to photograph stars like Ingrid Bergman, Greta Garbo, and Elizabeth Taylor. Her photos stood apart—raw, natural, unforgettable. Then in 1939, Valeska began to make remarkable paintings of Jewish memory, tradition, and survival—art she called a ‘collective Jewish unconscious.’ Her canvases echoed Marc Chagall and other Mid Century Expressionists — fusing nostalgia, spirituality, and intense emotions. She lived to 99. Then her art was mostly forgotten.
Today—after decades in the shadows—Valeska is being rediscovered and celebrated in books, films, and museums in Germany. But in the U.S. she has been almost completely forgotten — until now.
Back to All Events