“To Paint is to Live: The Artwork of Erich Lichtblau-Leskly” has been extended until April 30, 2023
This Special Exhibit explores the life and work of Erich Lichtblau-Leskly, a Czech Jewish artist who used art and satire as tools of adaptation and resistance while imprisoned in Theresienstadt, a ghetto-concentration camp.
Imprisoned and forced into slave labor by the Nazis, Erich clandestinely used art to express himself, document life around him, and make sense of his unthinkable situation. His cartoonish representations of daily life in Theresienstadt juxtapose shocking scenes of brutality with a light, ironic style, exposing the absurdity of his and others’ experiences while remaining jarringly human.
Fearing for his life after others in the camp were deported, Erich cut most of his artwork into pieces. His wife Elsa hid them underneath the floorboards of her barracks and they miraculously survived. Erich used these fragments to recreate bigger, brighter, more fleshed-out versions with writings and captions to give further insight into what he was attempting to convey.
To Paint is to Live: The Artwork of Erich Lichtblau-Leskly, on loan from Holocaust Museum LA, features 134 pieces including original sketches and reworked paintings.
Free with admission or membership.