From Artistic Identity to a Childhood Under Nazism: Koehnline Museum Announces New Exhibitions
Artist Franz Altschuler with his sister Evi (1934).
Des Plaines, Ill. (Sept. 21, 2026) — Art bears witness to the world around us. This fall, Oakton College’s Koehnline Museum of Art will bring that idea to life. Two free, open-to-the-public exhibitions feature contemporary works by Oakton faculty and rarely seen childhood art created by a Jewish boy as Nazi influence took hold in Germany.
The museum’s fall lineup begins with “ID Show: Oakton Annual Art Faculty Exhibition,” followed by “Franz Altschuler: Child Artist in the Shadow of Nazism.” Both exhibitions will be on display at Oakton’s Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road.
ID Show: Oakton Annual Art Faculty Exhibition
Oct. 8 - Nov. 20, 2026 Free public reception: Thursday, Oct. 8, 5-8 p.m. Oakton Art Department faculty members demonstrate their unique artistic identities in the annual “ID Show.” Featuring paintings, photography, ceramics and digital art, the exhibition showcases the range of artistic approaches and perspectives of the artists who teach and mentor Oakton students.
Franz Altschuler: Child Artist in the Shadow of Nazism
The second exhibition of the season presents, for the first time, a collection of works created by Chicago artist Franz Altschuler (1923-2009) between the ages of 9 and 12 while attending the Landschulheim Herrlingen (Jewish boarding school) in Germany. Created between 1933 and 1936, Altschuler’s childhood works include sketchbooks, drawings, paintings, paper cutouts, puppets and a Rosh Hashanah album. Together, they offer a rare perspective on childhood and Jewish identity during a period of profound political and social upheaval.
One of Altschuler’s fourth-grade sketchbooks, created in 1933, the year Adolf Hitler came to power, contains 24 drawings, 21 of which depict military themes associated with the rise of Nazism. His drawings include portraits of Hitler, Nazi soldiers and other imagery reflecting the political transformation taking place around him. Other works reveal Altschuler’s connection to Jewish faith and tradition.
“The discovery of Altschuler’s childhood artwork has been one of the highlights of my career as a curator,” said Nathan Harpaz, Ph.D., manager and curator of the Koehnline Museum of Art. “It joins a series of remarkable discoveries that have helped illuminate overlooked chapters in Chicago art history.”
Altschuler and his family left Germany for the U.S. in September 1936. He later served with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. His wartime collection, including military documents, correspondence, photographs, sketches and drawings, is now held by the Pritzker Military Museum and Library.
Following his military service, Altschuler moved to Chicago and studied at the Institute of Design, formerly the New Bauhaus, under renowned Bauhaus master László Moholy-Nagy. He later taught at the Institute of Design and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and established a career as an artist and illustrator. His work is represented in collections including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brooklyn Museum.
The childhood artwork featured in the exhibition was entrusted to architect T. Paul Young before Altschuler died in 2009. Young, executive director of the Bauhaus Chicago Foundation, loaned the works for the exhibition and contributed to its development and research.
The exhibition is supported by the Illinois Arts Council, with additional assistance from the Pritzker Military Museum and Library and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
