Exhibition Opening: And That's True Too

On January 22, LBI will open its first exhibition of 2026 And That's True Too: The Life and Work of Lore Segal. Aside from the unveiling of the exhibition, the opening event will feature renowned actor Toni Kalem (The Sopranos) reading from Lore Segal’s autobiographical novel Other People’s Houses.

About the Exhibition

And That’s True Too: The Life and Work of Lore Segal presents a richly documented exploration of the life and literary legacy of Lore Segal (1928–2024). Born in Vienna, Segal survived Nazi persecution as a child when she escaped on one of the earliest Kindertransports to England. Her subsequent life—marked by displacement, reinvention, and a lifelong engagement with language—shaped a body of work distinguished by moral clarity, wit, and intellectual rigor.

The exhibition features photographs, manuscripts, rare books, and archival materials that trace Segal’s journey from prewar Vienna to New York and examine how exile informed her novels, short stories, translations, and children’s books, as well as her influential career as a teacher.

The title And That’s True Too reflects Segal’s commitment to complexity and multiple perspectives—an ethos that runs through her writing and her reflections on memory, identity, and human connection.

About our guest

Toni Kalem has an extensive background as an actress in film, television, and theater. Although known for her portrayal of Italian characters in iconic films such as Philip Kaufman’s, THE WANDERERS, PRIVATE BENJAMIN, and Angie Bonpensiero on THE SOPRANOS, for which she also wrote, Ms. Kalem is of Jewish descent. When she read Lore Segal’s autobiographical novel, OTHER PEOPLE’S HOUSES, she discovered the deeply personal story she’d always wanted to tell. Like Lore, her mother was also on the Kindertransport, but unlike Lore, she barely spoke of her experience. Ms. Kalem, who now has her German citizenship, has adapted OPH as a screenplay and plans to shoot in Vienna and the UK.

Some other film credits include adapting and directing Anne Tyler’s, A SLIPPING-DOWN LIFE, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and an adaptation of Lisa Zeidner’s novel, LAYOVER, which she will direct starring Guy Pearce.