Art from the Łódź Ghetto: 80 years of survival and struggle

The Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw will present, for the first time on a broader scale, a collection of artworks and objects created in the Łódź Ghetto, in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of its liquidation. 

Ghetto Litzmannstadt, a gathering of children on Sulzfelder Straße (Wojska Polskiego street) and Blechgasse (Obrońców Westerplatte street). German description "Children with Jewish stars"

WBundesarchiv, Bild 101III-Schilf-002-30 / Schilf /Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-SA 3.0

The exhibition "Capturing the Ghetto: The Daily Life of the Łódź Ghetto Through the Eyes of Artists" reveals the extreme hardships faced by residents of the ghetto and their struggle for survival through art that not only documented daily life but also sought better treatment.

The display includes both propaganda pieces and works driven by the artists' personal motivations. "The works and objects created by Jewish residents imprisoned in the closed district by the Germans provide insight into the harsh, suffering-filled existence of its inhabitants and the fate of the artists themselves," explains exhibition curator Zofia Trębacz.

Visitors can see works by artists such as Józef Kowner, Izrael Lejzerowicz, and Icchok Braun, showcasing daily life in the ghetto, including forced labor and pervasive hunger. The exhibition is accompanied by a program of events and a publication that delve into the history and realities of life in the ghetto.

The Łódź Ghetto, established by the Germans in 1940 and the longest-lasting ghetto in occupied Polish territory, saw the survival of an estimated 7,000 to 13,000 individuals from over 200,000 Jewish people from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Austria, and Luxembourg. The ghetto also included 5,000 Roma from Austria.

The exhibition is on view at the Emanuel Ringelblum Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw from August 28th 2024 to March 16th 2025.

Source: IAR/Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw

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