Two suitcases containing 4,500 drawings were entrusted to a tutor in the Terezín ghetto before an artist was deported to her death at Auschwitz. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis, an Austrian-born painter, photographer, and designer, left behind a vast body of creative work that serves as a testament to her efforts to provide education under extreme circumstances.
Bauhaus Education and Early Career
Born in Vienna in 1898, Dicker-Brandeis began her formal artistic training under Johannes Itten. She followed him to the Bauhaus in Weimar, where she studied from 1919 to 1923. Her aptitude was noted early; she received scholarship funds and a private studio space by 1921. Her diverse workshops included printmaking, bookbinding, typography, and textile design. Following her time at the institution, she practiced as a designer and artist across Berlin, Prague, and Hronov.
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After marrying Pavel Brandeis in 1936, the couple was deported to the Terezín ghetto in December 1942. Dicker-Brandeis smuggled art supplies into the facility, facilitating secret classes for approximately 600 children. She focused on art as a tool for emotional expression and cognitive development. She famously required each pupil to sign their own artwork to ensure they retained their individual identity within the anonymity of the ghetto.
Legacy and Preservation
In September 1944, she volunteered to join her husband on a transport to Auschwitz, where she was murdered on October 9, 1944. The drawings she preserved remained in the care of the Jewish Community in Prague. Of the 660 children who created the archived work, 550 did not survive the Holocaust. Her broader career has since been memorialized through international exhibitions, including presentations in Vienna, Japan, and the Czech Republic.
Fast facts
- Born: 1898, Vienna
- Died: 1944, Auschwitz
- Education: Bauhaus (1919-1923)
- Citizenship: Austria and Czechoslovakia
- Occupations: Painter, pedagogue, photographer, graphic artist, designer
- Worked in: Prague, Terezín
- Spouse: Pavel Brandeis
Questions readers ask
What happened to the children's drawings?
The collection of 4,500 drawings was hidden in suitcases and later given to the Jewish Museum in Prague.
Did her husband survive the war?
Yes, her husband, Pavel Brandeis, survived the war.
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