Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
Encyclopedia
Frederika "Friedl" Dicker-Brandeis (July 30, 1898 - October 9, 1944), was an Austrian artist murdered by the Nazi's in their extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Born Frederika Dicker, she married Pavel Brandeis in 1936. Dicker-Brandeis was a student of Johannes Itten
at his private school in Vienna
, and later followed Itten to study and teach at the Weimar
Bauhaus
. She was involved in the textile design, printmaking, bookbinding, and typography workshops there from 1919-1923. After leaving the Bauhaus, she worked as an artist and textile designer in Berlin
, Prague
, and Hronov
.
Dicker-Brandeis and her husband were deported to the Terezín
"model ghetto" in December 1942. During her time at Terezín, she gave art lessons and lectures.
She helped to organize secret education classes for the children of Terezín. She saw drawing and art as a way for the children to understand their emotions and their environment. In this capacity she was giving art therapy.
At Terezin she persisted in pursuing her goal — "to rouse the desire towards creative work."
In September 1944, Brandeis was transported to Auschwitz; Dicker-Brandeis volunteered for the next transport to join him. But before she was taken away, she gave to Rosa Engländer, the chief tutor of Girls' Home L 410, two suitcases with 4,500 drawings. F. Dicker-Brandes died in Birkenau on October 9, 1944. Her husband Pavel, survived.
After the war, Willy Groag, the director of the Girl's home L 410 brought the suitcases with children's drawings to the Jewish Community in Prague. From the nearly 660 authors of the drawings, 550 were killed in the Holocaust. The drawings are now in the Jewish Museum in Prague
's collection, with some on display in the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.
In 1999, a Friedl Dicker-Brandeis's exhibit, organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center
and curated by Elena Makarova (Israel) was opened in Vienna. The exhibition was shown in Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, France, USA and Japan. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum founder Daisaku Ikeda
, who was instrumental in bringing the exhibit to Japan, comments, "The various artworks left behind by this great woman and the children of Terezin are their legacy to the present, to all of us today. They demand that we continue in our quest for a society that truly treasures human life, transcending all differences of race, religion, politics and ideology. It remains my heartfelt hope that this exhibit may provide a moment of introspection for its viewers, a moment for us to reaffirm the importance of our rights as human beings and the value of life itself."
Born Frederika Dicker, she married Pavel Brandeis in 1936. Dicker-Brandeis was a student of Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten
Johannes Itten was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus school...
at his private school in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, and later followed Itten to study and teach at the Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
Bauhaus
Bauhaus
', commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a school in Germany that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It operated from 1919 to 1933. At that time the German term stood for "School of Building".The Bauhaus school was founded by...
. She was involved in the textile design, printmaking, bookbinding, and typography workshops there from 1919-1923. After leaving the Bauhaus, she worked as an artist and textile designer in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, and Hronov
Hronov
Hronov is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has around 6,500 inhabitants. It is located near the Polish border. The Festival of amateur theatre Jiráskův Hronov takes part here every year...
.
- "I remember thinking in school how I would grow up and would protect my students from unpleasant impressions, from uncertainty, from scrappy learning," Friedl Dicker-Brandeis wrote to a friend in 1940. "Today only one thing seems important — to rouse the desire towards creative work, to make it a habit, and to teach how to overcome difficulties that are insignificant in comparison with the goal to which you are striving."
Dicker-Brandeis and her husband were deported to the Terezín
Theresienstadt concentration camp
Theresienstadt concentration camp was a Nazi German ghetto during World War II. It was established by the Gestapo in the fortress and garrison city of Terezín , located in what is now the Czech Republic.-History:The fortress of Terezín was constructed between the years 1780 and 1790 by the orders...
"model ghetto" in December 1942. During her time at Terezín, she gave art lessons and lectures.
She helped to organize secret education classes for the children of Terezín. She saw drawing and art as a way for the children to understand their emotions and their environment. In this capacity she was giving art therapy.
At Terezin she persisted in pursuing her goal — "to rouse the desire towards creative work."
In September 1944, Brandeis was transported to Auschwitz; Dicker-Brandeis volunteered for the next transport to join him. But before she was taken away, she gave to Rosa Engländer, the chief tutor of Girls' Home L 410, two suitcases with 4,500 drawings. F. Dicker-Brandes died in Birkenau on October 9, 1944. Her husband Pavel, survived.
After the war, Willy Groag, the director of the Girl's home L 410 brought the suitcases with children's drawings to the Jewish Community in Prague. From the nearly 660 authors of the drawings, 550 were killed in the Holocaust. The drawings are now in the Jewish Museum in Prague
Jewish Museum in Prague
The Jewish Museum in Prague is a museum of Jewish heritage located in Prague, Czech Republic.The Jewish Museum in Prague was founded in 1906 by historian Dr. Hugo Lieben and Dr. Augustin Stein, who later became head of the Prague Jewish Community...
's collection, with some on display in the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague.
In 1999, a Friedl Dicker-Brandeis's exhibit, organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Center
Simon Wiesenthal Center
The Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
and curated by Elena Makarova (Israel) was opened in Vienna. The exhibition was shown in Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, France, USA and Japan. Tokyo Fuji Art Museum founder Daisaku Ikeda
Daisaku Ikeda
is president of Sōka Gakkai International , a Nichiren Buddhist lay association which claims 12 million members in 192 countries and territories, and founder of several educational, cultural and peace research institutions.-Life and establishment of SGI:...
, who was instrumental in bringing the exhibit to Japan, comments, "The various artworks left behind by this great woman and the children of Terezin are their legacy to the present, to all of us today. They demand that we continue in our quest for a society that truly treasures human life, transcending all differences of race, religion, politics and ideology. It remains my heartfelt hope that this exhibit may provide a moment of introspection for its viewers, a moment for us to reaffirm the importance of our rights as human beings and the value of life itself."
Literature
- Susan Goldman Rubin: Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis and the Children of Terezin, Holiday HouseHoliday HouseHoliday House, Inc., is a publishing house founded in 1935 in New York City, specializing in children's literature. It is a member of the Children's Book Council....
Inc New York, 2000, ISBN 9780823416813 (13), ISBN 082341681X (10) - Elena MakarovaElena MakarovaElena Alekseyevna Makarova is a Russian tennis player.Makarova played in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour between 1991 and 1999. Her best performances were in 1995, when she was ranked no. 36 in doubles, and in 1996, when she was ranked no. 43 in singles....
: Friedl, Dicker-Brandeis, Vienna 1898- Auschwitz 19 (Paperback), Publisher: Tallfellow Press; 1st ed edition (December 31, 1999), ISBN 0967606195 (10), ISBN 978-0967606194 (13)
External links
- Entry in Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia
- More about Friedl Dicker-Brandeis
- The Pinkas Synagogue
- Exhibition Tokyo Fuji Art Museum April 2002
- Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Avenue, New York City) from September 10, 2004 to January 16, 2005
- http://makarovainit.com/friedl/home.html
- http://www.jewishmuseum.cz/en/afdb.htm
- http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/FDB