Gift presented to Pope Benedict XVI

This artwork follows a sketch created by Felix Nussbaum immediately after his escape from the St. Cyprien camp to Brussels. Here for the first time his Jewish identity takes a central stage, after many years during which he addressed universal subjects.

A cohesive group of four men wrapped in their prayer shawls stands in front of a camp barrack which serves as a makeshift synagogue, while a single figure remains apart. This is likely the artist himself, who still hesitates whether to join the service. The congregants are viewed from behind, their heads vanishing into the dark background, while their features are not discernible. The white prayer shawls serve as the only highly illuminated surface in the painting. The worshippers cling to their faith in the moroseness of the camp, while the protective prayer shawl magnifies the fragility of the prisoners.

The gray light of the threatening morning sky confers the painting an apocalyptic aura. A black cloud and the scavenger birds circling above their prey – a recurrent motif in Nussbaum’s art – forebode ill. Scattered on the sand are items alluding to the harsh and miserable life in the camp: barbed wire, a bare bone, an empty can, and an abandoned shoe symbolize hunger and death.

Click here for more information about Felix Nussbaum