Felix Nussbaum (1904 - bef. 1945)

Born 11 Dec 1904 in Osnabrück, Hannover, Preußen, Deutsches Reich

Ancestors

Husband of Fajga Felka Zlata (Płatek) Nussbaum — married 1937 in Brüssel, Brabant, Belgien

Died before 27 Jan 1945 before age 40 in Konzentrationslager Auschwitz, Auschwitz, Kreis Bielitz, Provinz Oberschlesien, Preußen, Deutsches Reich

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Biography

Felix Nussbaum is Notable.

Felix Nussbaum has Jewish Roots.

Felix Nussbaum was born in the German Empire.

Felix Nussbaum died as a result of persecution during the Holocaust.

Felix Nussbaum, born on 11 December 1904, in Osnabrück, Hannover, Prussia, German Empire, was a significant painter of the New Objectivity^[1] movement. His parents were the merchant Philipp Nussbaum (1872–1944) and his wife Rahel (van Dijk) Nussbaum (1873–1944). Felix had an older brother Justus Nussbaum (1901–1944).

After attending a Jewish elementary school and Osnabrück's Realgymnasium, and growing up in a family supportive of his artistic aspirations, Nussbaum pursued art studies in Hamburg and Berlin, meeting his future wife and fellow artist, Fajga (Felka) Platek, in 1927. He had his first solo exhibition in 1927 at a bookstore in Osnabrück and in 1928 at the Galerie Casper in Berlin.^[2] Inspired by Vincent van Gogh, he travelled to France, and upon his return in 1929, he set up his own studio in Berlin.^[2]

His artistic journey was tragically disrupted by the rise of Nazism. In 1932, Felix Nussbaum tragically lost a significant portion of his artworks due to an act of arson. This loss would have been a considerable setback for Nussbaum, as artists often rely on their body of work for recognition, career advancement, and historical legacy. Such incidents were not uncommon in the volatile and politically charged atmosphere of the German Empire in the early 1930s, particularly for artists whose work or backgrounds were deemed undesirable by the rising Nazi party.

In 1933, facing growing persecution of Jews, Nussbaum fled Germany to exile in Italy, further on in 1935 to Ostende and later settling in Brussels with Felka Platek, where they got married in 1937. Nussbaum had previously made his rejection of marriage clear in 1930 in his painting "Illustrationen eines Hochzeitsgedichts" ("Illustrations of a Wedding Poem"), in which he depicted Cupid with his arms crossed. Nevertheless, the wedding took place because Felka Platek had difficulties with the Belgian authorities regarding her residence permit.^[3]

Two days after German troops invaded Belgium on 8 May 1940, Felix Nussbaum was arrested by Belgian authorities and then taken to the Saint-Cyprien internment camp in Southern France.^[4][5] Deeply affected by the conditions in the internment camp, Felix Nussbaum requested the French camp authorities to send him back to Germany. However, during the journey, he managed to escape in Bordeaux.^[2] After his escape, Nussbaum returned to Brussels, where his partner, Felka Platek, had remained. In Brussels, both Nussbaum and Platek went into hiding with the help of a friendly art dealer and remained undercover until 1944.^[2]

During this period, Nussbaum created some of his most poignant works, channelling his experiences and fears into art as a form of resistance and self-affirmation. His oeuvre, numbering over 450 works, poignantly captures the anguish of the Holocaust. One of his most famous works is “Selbstportrait mit Judenpaß” which became the iconic epitome of life under constant threat.^[6]

Felix Nussbaum: Selbstporträt mit Judenpaß

On 21 July 1944, following a betrayal, Felix Nussbaum and his wife Felka, were picked up by the Nazis from their hideout at Rue Archimède 2, arrested and subsequently deported on Transport XXVI from Caserne Dossin (Malines-Mechelen),Camp,Belgium to Auschwitz Birkenau,Extermination Camp,Poland on 31 July 1944, the last transport from the Mechelen transit camp to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp.^[3][7] Previous beliefs that Felix Nussbaum was murdered in the gas chambers upon arrival at Auschwitz on 2 August 1944 or 9 August 1944^[8][9], were disproven in 2014 by a medical file from the Russian State Archives in Moscow.^[10][11] The medical file from the surgical department of Auschwitz's hospital block 21 revealed that Nussbaum, prisoner number B-3594, was treated for a blister on his left index finger on 20 September 1944. This indicates he was among the 361 Jews from his transport deemed fit for work and not immediately gassed. There is no evidence of his transfer to another camp after 26 November 1944. Nussbaum was not among those liberated from Auschwitz on 27 January 1945, leading to the conclusion that he perished there between 20 September 1944, and 27 January 1945.

Nussbaum is believed to have said: "Wenn ich untergehe, lasst meine Bilder nicht sterben – zeigt sie den Menschen!" (If I perish, do not let my paintings die – show them to the people). His works can be viewed in Sammlung Felix Nussbaum^[12] (Collection Felix Nussbaum) in Osnabrück's Museumsquartier, exhibited in the so called "Felix-Nussbaum-Haus" (designed by star architect Daniel Libeskind^[13] who was also the architect for The Jewish Museum in Berlin).

In 2010, the city theatre of Osnabrück also featured a play in his name and memory: Felix Nussbaum^[14]

Major Works

• Das Geheimnis. November 1939, Oil on canvase, 61 × 74.5 cm, Privately owned, Osnabrück.
• Der Flüchtling 1. 1939, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, Osnabrück.
• Selbstporträt mit Judenpaß, Brussels, about 1943, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, Osnabrück.
• Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei, 1943, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus Osnabrück, Leihgabe der Niedersächsischen Sparkassenstiftung
• Jaqui auf der Straße, 1944, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus Osnabrück.
• Triumph des Todes (Die Gerippe spielen zum Tanz), 1944, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus Osnabrück.

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia: New Objectivity, accessed 14 December 2024.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} German Wikipedia: Felix Nussbaum, accessed 13 December 2023.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} German Wikipedia: [1], accessed 14 December 2023.
4. ↑ Junk, Peter; Sellmeyer Martina: Stationen auf dem Weg nach Auschwitz: Entrechtung, Vertreibung, Vernichtung. Juden in Osnabrück. 1900-1945. Ein Gedenkbuch. Herausgegeben von der Stadt Osnabrück, Rasch Verlag,Bramsche, 2. Auflage, 1989, p. 298.
5. ↑ Marcel Bervoets-Tragholz: La liste de Saint-Cyprien, Alice Editions , Brussels, October 2006, see also https://www.ushmm.org/media/dc/HSV/source_media/all_cataloging/general/pdf/source_33334_prepablog.pdf
6. ↑ YouTube: Anne Sibylle Schwetter – Felix Nussbaum – Selbstbild mit Judenpass – ©Museumsquartier Osnabrück, You Tube video
7. ↑ Yad Vashem: Felix Nussbaum.
8. ↑ A declaration of death issued by the Osnabrück District Court on 24 August 1955, stated 9 August 1944, as the date of death for Felix Nussbaum.
9. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #215384612 (accessed 14 December 2023)
   Memorial page for Felix Nussbaum (11 Dec 1904-9 Aug 1944), citing Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Oświęcim, Powiat oświęcimski, Małopolskie, Poland; Maintained by David Peltier (contributor 48075738).
10. ↑ Neue OZ: Nachricht zum Tod des Malers Felix Nussbaum, onlineversion accessed 13 December 2023.
11. ↑ https://www.breitengrad66.de/belege/nussbaum.pdf
12. ↑ Museumsquartier Osnabrück: Sammlung Felix Nussbaum, acccessed 14 Dec 2023.
13. ↑ German Wikipedia: Daniel Libeskind, accessed 14 December 2023.
14. ↑ German Wikipedia: Felix Nussbaum (Theaterstück), accessed 14 December 2023.

Wikidata: Item Q215572, de:Wikipedia