Felix Nussbaum

While in Paris last week I saw a heartbreaking show at the Jewish Museum of the work of Felix Nussbaum. He was a painter who visually documented the rise of Nazism, painted the camps (into which he was forced), and finally was murdered in Auschwitz at age 40.
The power of the work is indescribable.

3 Responses to “Felix Nussbaum”

  1. Madeline Sorel Says:

    terrific!

  2. Helen Bartley Says:

    Felix Nussbaum’s work is extremely important. Often times, photos and films can’t capture the emotional essence and intimacy found in a painting or drawing. I am the child of Holocaust survivors and grew up hearing so many stories about life and death–mostly unsuitable for a child, yet incredibly moving. There were no photos, no documentation, left from before the war and few after. I grew up imagining the images, the colors, the faces in the stories–terror, fear, horror, love, death. Many of these were images of of my own family members I had never met or seen. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, my 5-year old brother…Felix Nussbaum’s work, and the work of several other illustrators carry immense power for me. As I have tried to document the stories with my own art and writing, it is always in my thoughts that my images and words are second-hand and have a different meaning than what Nussbaum and his contemporaries created. But I continue. Stories passed along, have a life and special value of their own and I will continue with my work, revering the courage I feel from someone like Mr. Nussbaum.

  3. anitakunz Says:

    Thank you Helen

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