Prince commissions survivor portraits
Portraits of seven Shoah survivors painted by esteemed artists will be unveiled as part of a BBC documentary next week, and then hung in Buckingham Palace.
Portraits of seven Shoah survivors painted by leading artists at the request of the Prince of Wales will be unveiled next week as part of a BBC documentary marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The hour-long documentary will be aired on January 27, featuring testimony from those who survived the Nazi genocide as well as a look at the artists tasked with telling their stories of grief and hope.
The portraits will then be displayed at the Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace and will become part of the Royal Collection. They will go on display in the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, from March until June.
Prince Charles, who is patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, 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 survivors and the artists involved in the remarkable project are: Helen Aronson, painted by Paul Benney; Lily Ebert by Ishbel Myerscough; Manfred Goldberg paired with Clara Drummond; Arek Hersh and Massimiliano Pironti; Anita Lasker Wallfisch painted by Peter Kuhfeld; Rachel Levy with Stuart Pearson Wright; and Zigi Shipper whose portrait will be painted by Jenny Saville.
Olivia Marks-Woldman, chief executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said, “We are delighted that His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, our patron, has commissioned this amazing and hugely important work. We were delighted to play a small part in facilitating elements of this wonderful project and bring Holocaust survivors together with these wonderful artists.”
As well as its broadcast next week, the documentary, Survivors: Portraits of the Holocaust, will also be aired in two parts on BBC World News on February 12 and 19.
The announcement comes at the end of a four-month run at the Imperial War Museum of an exhibition featuring photographs of survivors and their families, including works by the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
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