The Kennedys

The Kennedys was a museum in Berlin, housed in the former Jewish girls' school, a building with its own layers of history. It told the story of America's Kennedy family through photographs, documents and personal objects. John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth president of the United States, took centre stage. Political history and everyday life shared the rooms.

In 1963 Kennedy delivered his famous 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech at the Wall, a pledge of solidarity with West Berlin. Photographs and documents from that Cold War moment filled the displays, and film footage ran across the walls. The range went wider than one presidency: Jackie and Robert, the myth of the American Dream, his own campaign. Personal things had their place too, among them handmade designer suits and bags.

After more than twelve years in the city, the museum closed its doors in January 2019. Camera Work, which had first shown the family in 2004, turned the collection into a touring exhibition. From venue to venue, the show carries the Kennedy story to audiences far beyond Germany. Wherever it opens, JFK's suit and briefcase go along, pieces that once stood in the old school.