The Power of Art
Forbidden Art &
the National Liberty Museum
Sherry Hawk
Last year, when we learned that we would be able to display the Auschwitz Memorial’s exhibition Forbidden Art at NLM, we were both excited and humbled. Not only does Forbidden Art, a collection of 20 powerful images of fragile and rare examples of camp art made illegally by Jewish and Polish prisoners in Auschwitz, perfectly reflect our mission, it also aligns seamlessly with the connection we at the Museum strive to make between liberty and art.
Art has been at the center of the National Liberty Museum since we opened our doors in 2000. Much of our collection is glass art, which we have used to symbolize the fragility of freedom. However, the greater message is in the very nature of creating art. Art is the embodiment of self-expression. When we produce a work of art, we reveal snapshots of who we are as human beings. That experience can only take place in an environment of freedom—physical or mental. We make this point when we take our student visitors on a tour of our galleries. We ask them to imagine what life would be like if they couldn’t be themselves!
No collection illustrates this more than Forbidden Art. Clearly, what the prisoners experienced in Nazi Concentration Camps was the very antithesis of freedom. Not only were they forbidden to display any sense of self-expression, they were robbed of their human identities completely, from having to dress in identical uniforms to being identified by numbers tattooed on their arms. The fact that prisoners of Auschwitz were able to produce the works displayed in this exhibition is proof that the need for self-expression is as basic as any human necessity.
There is also another lesson about liberty that we learn from art, especially from the artwork in this exhibition. How does one call attention to the atrocities of authoritarianism and oppression, when the very act of being denied their freedom renders them speechless?
We know from years of interacting with our visitors that the answer is art. Art has the power to transform our way of seeing the world. The artists represented in Forbidden Art called attention to a significant moment in time, so it is not lost from recorded history. Their works convey loss, horror, pain, and love. Through their visual responses, these artists were able to take action when speaking out was not merely useless, but subject to the penalty of death.
Most importantly, art is a two-way conversation. The meaning of art exists in a space between the artist and the viewer. The works presented in Forbidden Art engage the viewer through the artists’ intent, thoughtfulness and recording of a personal experience. Seeing the Nazis’ atrocities through the eyes of artists sheds light on the dark side of the world. We confront the question: if it happened once in our “enlightened era,” can it happen again?
Forbidden Art is on display at the National Liberty Museum through April 12, 2020.
Located in the heart of historic Philadelphia, PA, the National Liberty Museum’s mission from the time it opened twenty years ago has been to bring liberty to life through stories of people from all over the world and across time whose character and courage have protected, promoted, and expanded liberty for all. The Museum’s exhibits, educational experiences and public programs are designed to inspire visitors to think about liberty as an ongoing human quest that we all share.