Albert Einstein

(1879 – 1955)

Portrait of Albert Einstein by Jack Kamen

Jack Kamen Artwork

Albert Einstein was a German-born, Jewish physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. He is best known for his equation E = mc2, which states that energy and matter are the same, they just take different forms. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.

Escaping World War II

As a well-known Jewish scientist during World War II, Einstein faced backlash from the Nazi Party. The Nazi Party influenced other scientists to label Einstein’s work “Jewish physics.” As the war progressed, Einstein was targeted to be killed. He escaped to America, continued his work and campaigned against racism and other forms of discrimination.

Explore Additional Portraits in the Collection

Christa McAuliffe
Leonardo Da Vinci
Thomas Edison

These portraits were commissioned by Dean Kamen for the SEE Science Center.  The artist is Jack Kamen (1920-2008), an American graphic artist and Dean’s father. The series was created to inspire children through the stories of scientists and engineers whose work changed the world.  While many of the pieces represent men, the duo worked hard to identify female scientists.  Had Jack not passed, their goal was to continue to increase representation within the collection.  The original artwork is on display at the SEE Science Center in the Jack Kamen Portrait Gallery.