Auction 73
Jewish and Israeli History, Culture and Art
Aug 11, 2020
(your local time)
Israel
8 Ramban St, Jerusalem.
The auction has ended
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LOT 213:
Theresienstadt Ghetto – Two Drawings by Joseph (Joe) Spier, a Prisoner of the Ghetto – 1943
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Sold for: $850
Start price:
$
500
Auction house commission: 25%
VAT: 17% On commission only
Users from foreign countries may be exempted from tax payments, according to the relevant tax regulations
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Theresienstadt Ghetto – Two Drawings by Joseph (Joe) Spier, a Prisoner of the Ghetto – 1943
Two drawing depicting the Theresienstadt Ghetto (Terezin) by Joseph (Joe) Spier, executed during his time in the ghetto. Theresienstadt (now in the Czech Republic), 1943.
Ink and watercolors on paper. Both are signed and dated.
One drawing depicts a prisoner at work, kneeling; captioned at bottom "Gymn. Prof. Dr. C. Aus Dresden" [Gymnasium Professor, Dr. C. of Dresden]. The other painting depicts a group of prisoners in the ghetto.
Joseph (Joe) Eduard Adolf Spier (1900-1978) was a Jewish-Dutch artist and illustrator. During the 1920s and 1930s, he worked as an illustrator and caricaturist for the popular newspaper "De Telegraaf"; however, after the occupation of Holland by Nazi Germany in 1940 he was fired from the newspaper. During this period, his works became increasingly political and after publishing a satirical caricature of Adolph Hitler, he was arrested and sent to Camp Westerbork, a police transit camp for Jews. His luck held for a short time when one of Holland's senior politicians, the pro-Nazi nationalist Anton Mussert, turned out to be a fan of his works and made sure he was moved with his family to Villa Bouchina; but shortly afterwards the family was sent to the Theresienstadt Ghetto, where they remained until the end of the war. During his time in the ghetto, Spier painted murals in the children's shacks, but was also forced to participate in the production of the propaganda film "Theresienstadt. Ein Dokumentarfilm aus dem jüdischen Siedlungsgebiet" ("Theresienstadt: A Documentary Film from the Jewish Settlement Area"). After the war, he was heavily criticized for his participation and many in Holland saw him as a Nazi collaborator. In 1951 he immigrated with his family to the USA.
16.5X13.5 cm; approx. 4X16 cm. Good condition. Minor stains. The drawings are mounted on cardboard plates and framed (old frames, with blemishes). Unexamined out of frames.
