The École de Paris in mahJ's collection The donations of Claire Maratier and Lydie Lachenal

Daughter of the painter Michel Kikoïne (1892-1968), Claire Maratier (1915-2013) grew up at la Ruche in Paris, where her father's studio was located, surrounded by artists who, like him, were mostly Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Her donations to the mahJ enabled the constitution of a remarkable collection of works by artists of the École de Paris. She is also the creator of the Fondation Pro mahJ, which has been supporting the museum's activities since 2003.

Lydie Lachenal (born in 1930) was a journalist before creating the Lachenal & Ritter publishing house and publishing works on surrealism and the avant-garde. Her work is largely devoted to the memory of her father, the painter Léon Weissberg (1895-1943), and her father-in-law, the writer Oser Warszawski (1898-1944), both of whom died in deportation. Through her books and reissues, Lydie Lachenal saved these two works from oblivion. She made three donations to the MahJ of works by Léon Weissberg, Oser Warszawski and the avant-garde Yiddish magazine Khalyastra (The Gang).