Nestled along Connecticut’s scenic Gold Coast lies the charming town of Fairfield, home to a wealth of attractions, including the picturesque Fairfield University. Perched atop a hill on the campus is Bellarmine Hall, a stately 44-room mansion designed in the elegant style of an English manor house. Within its lower level, the Fairfield University Art Museum is currently showcasing “Famous and Family: Through the Lens of Trude Fleischmann,” on view now through July 26.
Trude Fleischmann, an Austrian-born pioneer of modern photography, carved out an extraordinary legacy through her elegant, emotionally resonant portraits of artists, intellectuals and cultural icons of the 20th century. Born into a prosperous Jewish family in Vienna in 1895, Fleischmann established herself in Europe as one of the few prominent women in a male dominated field. Her refined, modern and elegant aesthetic, marked by soft lighting, intentional framing and an intuitive understanding of personality, set her apart and earned her a place among the most influential portrait artists of her time.
This landmark exhibition highlights Fleischmann’s journey, from her formative years in interwar Vienna to her creative resurgence in the United States following her emigration in 1939. Featuring over 100 gelatin silver prints — along with an array of rare memorabilia, including postcards, calendars, books and magazines — the show offers an intimate and expansive look into the evolution of her artistic world and remarkable life. This is Fleischmann’s first solo exhibition in the United States.
At just 24, Fleischmann opened her first studio in Vienna, quickly establishing herself as a sought-after portraitist of the city’s cultural elite. During the 1920s and 1930s, she captured timeless images of notable figures such as composer Alban Berg, writer Stefan Zweig and dancer Tilly Losch. Her bold nude studies of modern dancers were unconventional for their time, challenging conservative societal norms and affirming her place as a trailblazer.