Join a volunteer led guided walk of Willesden Jewish Cemetery and learn about the many artists, art dealers, critics who reside there.
It can be said that few Jewish artists managed to make an impression in the art world prior to the early twentieth century. Reasons for this may include the small population in Britain and the prohibition of the Second Commandment “You shall not make yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth”. For many this meant the creation of any artistic representation was forbidden and so amongst the Jewish community there isn’t a long standing tradition of working in the world of art.
However, there were artists whose creative urge was so strong that they had no choice but to paint. An outstanding example is the artist Mark Gertler who is buried at Willesden. He is remembered above all for his painting of The Merry-Go-Round (1916), which foresaw the upheaval and uncertain politics of the coming years. Gertler was also involved with the Bloomsbury set, although he sat uncomfortably between the two worlds of privileged middle class artists and his own impoverished home background.
As well as Gertler and other artists such as Simeon Solomon, you can also find major collectors and art dealers in the cemetery. They played a key role in the art world. Lord Joseph Duveen influenced and assisted American millionaires in building up fine art collections which eventually found their way into America's great museums.
The cemetery even has its own artworks. There is a recently restored Edward Burne-Jones Grade 2 listed design on the grave of Maximilian (Max) Eberstadt (1844-1891).
To find out more, book your tickets for a guided walk below.
Maximum of 25 participants per guided walk.
Walks will start at the Heritage Centre and last roughly 75 minutes. We recommend you leave some time before or afterward to further explore the Heritage Centre and funerary buildings.
A limited amount of parking is available on site.
Wheelchairs can be provided upon request.
No dogs, with the exception of guide dogs.
Our guided walks are £10 to join, with concessions for Seniors and Students of £8. Charging for Guided Walks allow us to keep doing what we do - sustaining the new House of Life visitor experience, and making the cemetery’s heritage and stories accessible to people from all backgrounds.
