Self-Portrait

Moritz Oppenheim�s life and work epitomize German Jewry�s journey from traditional life to modernity. Born in the ghetto of Hanau, he studied academic painting, an opportunity previously unavailable to Jews. As a portrait painter in Frankfurt, he received commissions from both Jews and non-Jews and enjoyed the patronage of the Rothschilds. In this work, one of the earliest self-portraits by a Jewish artist, a young Oppenheim depicts himself proudly holding his palette, a vivid testimony to the emergence of Jewish artists during the 19th century.

Source: The Jewish Museum, New York, 2009.