Special Opening of Generations. Portraits of Holocaust Survivors at the Imperial War Museum

A moving afternoon with several eloquent speeches to honour survivors of the Holocaust at the Imperial War Museums in celebration of the exhibition “Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors”. Terrific to attend with my mother and to see the photograph by Anna Fox of our family included in the exhibition.

 

The text accompanying this photograph reads: 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. Most 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.

 

In partnership with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), Jewish News, the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Dangoor Education, “Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors” showcases 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. Good also to see Tracy Marshall Grant and Michael Pritchard who helped make the project such a success.

September 20, 2021
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