BANG Showbiz English
Princes Charles has commissioned paintings of Holocaust survivors to pay tribute to their generation.
The Prince of Wales – who is patron of the National Holocaust Memorial Day Trust – commissioned seven artists to paint people who survived concentration camps, and they will be featured in an upcoming BBC Two documentary ‘Survivors: Portraits of the Holocaust’.
In a statement, he said: “As the number of Holocaust survivors sadly, but inevitably, declines, my abiding hope is that this special collection will act as a further guiding light for our society, reminding us not only of history’s darkest days, but of humanity’s interconnectedness as we strive to create a better world for our children, grandchildren and generations as yet unborn; one where hope is victorious over despair and love triumphs over hate.”
The 73-year-old royal also gave an interview for the film, which will air on Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27), while the pieces will be on public displayed in Buckingham Palace.
All seven people feautred in the artwork are survivors of concentration camps, now in the 90s and still living in the UK.
Paul Benney has painted Helen Aronson, Ishbel Myserscough painted Lily Ebert and Clara Drummond painted Mandfred Goldberg.
Other survivors and artists in the project include Arek Hersh (painted by Massimiliano Pironti), Anita Lasker Wallfisch (Peter Kuhfeld), Rachel Levy (Stuart Pearson Wright) and Zigi Shipper (Jenny Saville).
Holocaust Educational Trust chief executive Karen Pollock added: “Holocaust survivors endured the very worst. They were rounded up into ghettos, sent to concentration camps and enslaved as forced labourers.
“To survive the concentration and death camps and 77 years later see their portraits displayed in Buckingham Palace is very special indeed, and a poignant and fitting testament to their lasting contribution to this country.”