Portrait of a double survivor
“I’m a Holocaust survivor… and a survivor of domestic violence. I am very strong and I’m trying to eradicate all the various effects of being a double survivor."
Artist Wendy Bookatz has submitted a portrait of “double survivor” Francine Lazarus to this year’s Archibald Art Prize.
“Francine Lazarus (née Kamerman) was earmarked for extinction and hunted like an animal by the Nazis,” Bookatz said.
“She lived her childhood in terrible fear and suffered innumerable losses. Her youth was no improvement as she endured violence and abuse, which continued throughout her adult life, and yet she surmounted it all with her indomitable spirit. She beat all the odds. She, who had been taken out of school after only four years of learning, achieved university degrees in later life, wrote and published a book, raised a beautiful family with love. She, who had never received any love, found the strength to learn how to give and receive love.”
Lazarus, who came from Belgium, survived the war as a young child by being shuffled from house to house with a group of other children. After the war, she spent time with different foster families before eventually making her way to Australia when she was 21.
“I’m a double survivor,” Lazaraus said. “I’m a Holocaust survivor… and a survivor of domestic violence. I am very strong and I’m trying to eradicate all the various effects of being a double survivor.
“I am so chuffed because I [have been] painted by Wendy – I always thought [the Archibald] was the pinnacle of art in Australia.”
comments