Ben Uri was founded by Lazar Berson, an émigré Russian artist, in 1915 in Whitechapel in London. It originally was an art venue for Jewish immigrant artists who were unable to gain access to mainstream art societies at that time, due to the social discrimination and obstacles faced by migrant communities. A registered charity as well as a museum, Ben Uri was the cornerstone of the Jewish community’s cultural activity until the late 1970s. Ben Uri Art Society, as it was then, lost its gallery in 1995 when the synagogue building, in which it was housed, was sold. Since 2001, when it rented new gallery space, Ben Uri has curated some 100 exhibitions, toured to 25 different cities across 3 continents, published over 40 books and catalogues which have been distributed nationally and internationally.