Thinking of joining our Midlands art tour this summer? Art historian and trip leader Monica Bohm-Duchen reveals what we've got in store

Neither Walsall (near Birmingham, in case you were wondering) nor Leicester are obvious destinations for an art tour, let alone one focused on issues of Jewish experience and identity. Yet the New Art Gallery Walsall is home to a wonderfully rich collection of artworks, mostly relating to the larger-than-life, often controversial figure of Jewish sculptor Jacob Epstein, and the result of a generous donation on the part of his mistress – and later wife – Kathleen Garman, who was born and raised nearby. Epstein's work can be seen alongside items from his superb collection of non-western artefacts as well as artworks by family, friends and associates – including some of the biggest names in modern European and British art. Whilst at the gallery, we’ll enjoy a guided tour that includes privileged access to items in the extensive archive.

Our second port of call (after a night spent in the beautiful rural setting of Ansty Hall hotel) is Leicester Museum and Art Gallery, which – unknown to most – houses a world-class selection of early 20th-century German art. Those who are in the know justifiably claim it rivals, or even betters, that of the Tate. There, we’ll be shown round by its former curator Simon Lake, who will also tell us the moving story of how the collection began – namely with the German Jewish Hess family in Erfurt, who, against all odds, managed to send some of their magnificent pieces to the safety of the UK. The artists whose work we’ll be seeing include Franz Marc, Ludwig Kirchner, Max Beckmann and George Grosz – condemned as ‘degenerate’ by the Nazis, but now considered some of the most powerful artists of the early 20th century. Among them are also Ludwig Meidner and Marie-Louise von Motesiczky, who themselves came as Jewish refugees to this country.

*Crucifixion by Graham Sutherland, 1946 © The Estate of Graham Sutherland, photo © Brett Jordan*

On our way back to London we'll stop at another little-known but fascinating location: St Matthew’s Church on the outskirts of Northampton, which, thanks to the intervention of Dean Walter Hussey in the 1940s, is home to two impressive artworks: Henry Moore’s serene Mother and Child, and Graham Sutherland’s tortured Crucifixion, which was, by the artist’s own admission, partly inspired by the harrowing photographs of Holocaust victims released at the end of World War II. Hussey, who believed passionately that the religious beliefs of an artist were less important than their artistic convictions, also commissioned work by composer Leonard Bernstein and later, as Dean of Chichester Cathedral, would work with Bernstein again and employ Marc Chagall to create a stained glass window there.

Get a more in-depth experience of the artists mentioned here, plus more, when we venture out on our Modern Art in the Midlands tour this July. And explore the life of Epstein further in my online lunchtime talk about the sculptor on 8 July.

By Monica Bohm-Duchen

Header image: Torso in Metal from the Rock Drill by Jacob Epstein

Modern Art in the Midlands: Jewish Connections in Unexpected Places takes place Tuesday 9 – Wednesday 10 July. £340 early bird (until 10 May; +£35 single supplement); then £365 (+£35 single supplement). Prices include all coach transport, entry and tours of the museums, four-star accommodation, and dinner (9 July only; lunches not included).

Let there be Sculpture: The Life and Work of Jacob Epstein runs Monday 8 July. 1pm. Free, but donations appreciated. The recording of this talk will be sent to those attending the tour by the end of the same day.