Exploring the Housekeeper Exhibition: Paula Fichtl’s Untold Story at the Freud Museum, October 2025

The Housekeeper Exhibition at the Freud Museum

Many historic homes and house museums often showcase contemporary art exhibitions that add fresh layers to well-known stories. However, these efforts can sometimes fall flat, feeling forced or disconnected. This is not the case with the Housekeeper exhibition opening at the Freud Museum in Hampstead in October 2025. This fresh showcase gracefully intertwines contemporary art with deep historical narrative, spotlighting a rarely told figure in Sigmund Freud’s story — his devoted housekeeper, Paula Fichtl.

Setting the Scene: Freud Museum’s Historical Background

The Freud Museum’s building at 20 Maresfield Gardens became the home of the famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud after his escape from Austria in 1938. This quiet, leafy street in Hampstead offered refuge when Freud and his family fled the Nazi threat. The house was a private family residence until the death of Freud’s daughter Anna in 1982, and opened to the public several years later in 1986.

One of the most remarkable features is the meticulously reconstructed Vienna study of Freud, brought here with the help of those who travelled with him, carefully saving objects from the fascist regime’s reach. The iconic therapist’s couch sits surrounded by books and an eclectic collection of antiquities, reflecting Freud’s fascination with ancient cultures and his collector’s spirit.

Paula Fichtl: The Forgotten Caretaker

While many exhibitions focus on Freud himself, this unique display shines the spotlight on Paula Fichtl, the loyal housekeeper who traveled with the family from Vienna to London in 1938. Paula’s story offers a new angle on the Freud household — one that involves dedication not only to domestic tasks but also to the care of Freud’s consulting room and precious cultural collection.

Paula’s intimate knowledge of the household helped in recreating Freud’s study in London, serving as a bridge between past and present. Her role was pivotal, especially as Freud battled serious illness during their relocation. The exhibition, guest-curated by Gemma Blackshaw, emphasizes Paula’s essential backstage presence, often overlooked but undeniably foundational.

Contemporary Art Meets History

Turning this narrative into an artistic dialogue, the exhibition features sculptures by Cathie Pilkington. Her figurative pieces replace some of Freud’s favorite statues and figures in the recreated study, prompting visitors to play a visual detective game—to discern what’s original and what is new. This blurring of the authentic and the interloper invites reflection on our relationship to objects, history, and memory.

Are these objects simply artifacts with assigned value or do they carry deeper meanings, especially when people like Paula, who lived mostly in the shadows of this household, connect with them intimately? The exhibition goes beyond mere display to probe questions of ownership, care, and emotional connection in a home weighed down by history.

Life in the Margins: Paula’s Existence

In Vienna, Paula had no personal space of her own; she slept in a narrow, tucked-away passage between Freud’s consulting room and waiting room, packing away her bedding each morning to hide her presence. It wasn’t until arriving in London that she was afforded a private room, an emotional and symbolic shift from invisibility to recognition.

This element of Paula’s life sparks contemplation about possession and belonging—what counts as “owning” something in a life largely defined by service and neglect? The exhibition’s ‘Storeroom’ space deepens this theme, featuring sculptures, blankets, credenzas, and photos taped to walls, all presenting a haunting snapshot of time passing and memories fading.

Hidden Stories Within a Home

The exhibit pushes visitors to consider the invisible lives present in any household. How well does a family home reveal the stories and roles of those who serve quietly in the background? If someone entered your space, would they find traces of all who have lived there? Paula’s story challenges us to reexamine the “great man” narratives and acknowledge the essential caretakers behind the scenes.

The Power of Objects and Memory

The show also explores the idea of “unstable surfaces” where objects of recognized historic value sit beside the artist’s sentimental or ‘ancestral’ figures. What grants an object its power or meaning? Through this lens, we see a broader commentary on memory, loss, and the emotional web woven by possessions.

Héritage et reconnaissance

Despite a life often on the margins, Paula had a notable role in Freud’s legacy. After Anna Freud’s death, Paula was initially allowed to stay in the house, but was soon sent away, returning to Austria where she passed away feeling abandoned. Still, her memory is preserved through the exhibition and the museum’s texts recognizing her stewardship of Freud’s collection.

This exhibition is a rare example of how contemporary art and history can merge to tell a fuller, richer story—one that gives voice to a figure long silenced and invites reflection on care, power, and human connection.

Visiting the Exhibition

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Reflecting on Experience and Choice

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Conclusion

The Housekeeper exhibition at the Freud Museum invites reflection on overlooked histories and the significance of care and ownership within a home steeped in cultural heritage. Paula Fichtl’s story enriches the narrative of Freud’s household, reminding visitors that museums are living spaces where past and present converse through objects and stories. For travelers seeking to explore such unique sites, services like GetTransfer.com offer practical and tailored transportation solutions that make every trip enjoyable and hassle-free. Whether heading to an airport, city center, or a specific destination, you can trust platforms that provide exact car models, licensed drivers, and fare transparency to enhance your journey.