Organized Escape: Viennese Psychoanalysis, Exile, and Survival After 1938 Exhibition

This exhibition portrays the fates of Viennese psychoanalysts, primarily Jewish, who were forced to flee Austria after the annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938. It highlights the unique collective and organized nature of their escape, orchestrated by the international psychoanalytic community, and their subsequent contributions to the global dissemination of psychoanalysis.

The exhibition ORGANIZED ESCAPE – SURVIVAL IN EXILE. VIENNESE PSYCHOANALYSIS 1938 AND BEYOND at the Sigmund Freud Museum focuses on the harrowing journeys of the predominantly Jewish psychoanalysts who had to leave Vienna following Austria's annexation into National Socialist Germany in 1938. A notable aspect of this exodus was its collective organization, largely facilitated by the international psychoanalytic community, particularly through the persistent efforts of Ernest Jones in London, in close consultation with Anna Freud. This systematic rescue operation ensured that most members and candidates of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Society (WPV) were able to escape persecution, with nearly all having left Vienna by the spring of 1939. Sigmund Freud himself departed with his family in June 1938, settling in London where he passed away in September 1939. None of the emigrated WPV members permanently returned to Vienna post-war. Visitors can trace the escape routes and understand the complex bureaucratic and organizational challenges through selected biographies, correspondences, historical documents, and maps. A key artifact is Ernest Jones's 1938 list, documenting the names and annotations of those who escaped. The exhibition also incorporates audio and video interviews to offer personal perspectives. Beyond individual historical accounts, the exhibition illustrates the continued life and development of psychoanalysis in exile and its reestablishment in Vienna in 1946. By examining these historical events, the exhibition prompts reflection on enduring issues of antisemitism, xenophobia, and contemporary refugee movements.

The exhibition was held at the Sigmund Freud Museum. Information regarding ticketing and admission policies should be sought directly from the museum's official channels as details are not provided on this page.