Commissioned by The Imperial War Museum and Royal Photographic Society.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

“Working on the Holocaust survivors portrait project has been fascinating and humbling. Hearing the frequently hidden and powerful stories from my subjects has been mind-blowing and impossible to imagine, yet all with the knowledge that the kind of horrific crimes that happened in Nazi Germany are still happening. It is a reminder of the importance of remembering not to forget, to keep retelling the stories, to keep taking action.”

THE SURVIVOR

Inge Hyman (Ingeborg Neufeld) was born in 1935 in Vienna, where her parents ran a coffee house. Following persecution and the confiscation of their home and business, Inge, her brother Edgar and their parents escaped in 1938 on one of the last trains out of Vienna. Much of her extended family were not so fortunate. The family lived first in Paris then fled again to London, just before the Germans occupied France. Inge, a clinical psychologist, has studied the effects of trauma. She married the eminent book publisher Robin Hyman and has three children. James is an art historian focused on supporting British art and photography; Peter is a political adviser and educationalist; and Philippa is a clinical psychologist. Inge has eight grandchildren.

THE EXHIBITION

Over 50 contemporary portraits of Holocaust survivors and their families shine a light on the full lives they have lived and our collective responsibility to cherish their stories.

"Packs a colossal emotional punch" - The Daily Telegraph

In partnership with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), Jewish News, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Dangoor Education, Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors will showcase new works from 12 contemporary photographers, all members and Fellows of RPS, alongside photography by RPS patron, Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge.

Displayed for the very first time, these powerful photographs capture the special connections between Holocaust survivors and the younger generations of their families.

The systematic persecution of Europe’s Jews by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945 led to the mass extermination of 6 million lives. For those who survived, its memory and impact were life changing.

Through a series of individual and family portraits, the moving photographs in this exhibition present a group of survivors who made the UK their home after beginnings marked by unimaginable loss and trauma. While offering a space to remember and share their stories, these portraits are a celebration of the rich lives they have lived and the special legacy which their children and grandchildren will carry into the future.

Photographers include Frederic Aranda, Sian Bonnell, Jillian Edelstein, Arthur Edwards, Anna Fox, Joy Gregory, Jane Hilton, Tom Hunter, Karen Knorr, Carolyn Mendelsohn, Simon Roberts and Michelle Sank.