In fall 2026, the Museum and Memorial welcomes an exhibition that features an extraordinary collection of art made by prisoners of war in Siberia during WWI. In 1915, Austrian officer Rudolf Ernst was marched into a Russian POW camp where more than 13,000 Austro-Hungarians and Germans labored under harsh conditions. Many of them captured their experiences in drawings and paintings – and Ernst traded, bought or was gifted these works until he had amassed a collection of hundreds.
He left this collection to his daughter Alice when he passed away in 1936. In 1938, Alice and her husband fled their homeland when Nazi Germany annexed Austria. The few possessions they brought to their new home in the United States included her father’s art collection: what could fit in a suitcase.
The exhibition features pieces by teachers, architects and classically-trained artists – and others who remain unknown. The works are now on loan to the Museum and Memorial, which is helping to raise funds to acquire them for the permanent collection.
What Fit in a Suitcase: Art by WWI POWs in Siberia opens Oct. 15, 2026.
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