Boris Taslitzky (1911-2005) was a French painter whose work chronicled some of the darkest moments of the 20th century, particularly through his artistic documentation of life in Nazi concentration camps. His distinctive style, rooted in Socialist realism, emerged from his experiences as both an artist and as a fighter in the resistance during World War II.

When war began in 1939, Taslitzky was drafted into the 101st infantry regiment. He distinguished himself in battle at Chateau-Thierry against German forces in May 1940, earning the War Cross and Bronze Medal and the Palm. After being captured in June 1940, he escaped from the Melun camp in August and joined the French Resistance movement.

His resistance activities led to his arrest by special brigades in November 1941. Found guilty of producing drawings for communist propaganda, he received a two-year sentence. During this period, he moved through several facilities: first to Riom prison, where he managed to create two sketches despite harsh conditions, then to Mauzac military prison, where he produced over a hundred drawings that were later confiscated and lost.

In November 1943, despite having completed his sentence, authorities transferred him to the Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe camp. There, he took on a leadership role in the camp's resistance organization while continuing to create art. He painted frescoes on the walls of camp buildings using maintenance paint, earning him the nickname "Master of Saint Sulpice" from writer Louis Aragon.

Buchenwald and Artistic Documentation

On July 31, 1944, SS troops transferred the prisoners from Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe to Buchenwald. Assigned number 69022, Taslitzky spent nine months in Block 34 of the main camp. Despite the brutal conditions, he created over 200 drawings documenting daily life and his fellow prisoners. His artistic work was made possible through the help of Pierre Mania, a fellow imprisoned artist who supplied him with materials. The clandestine organizations within the camp and the solidarity of other prisoners helped protect these forbidden artistic activities.

His drawings captured various aspects of camp life, including work periods, rest times, and numerous portraits. Some were quick sketches, while others were carefully finished works of striking presence, including portraits of notable figures such as Julien Cain, administrator of the National Library, and artist Paul Goyard. When the camp was liberated following an uprising in April 1945—in which Taslitzky participated—he entrusted his drawings to Christian Pineau, who delivered them to Louis Aragon. In 1946, Aragon published 111 of these drawings in a volume titled "Boris Taslitzky, 111 drawings made in Buchenwald."

During this period, Taslitzky also experienced profound personal loss. His mother was arrested in the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup on July 16, 1942, and was killed at Auschwitz.

Early Life and Artistic Development

Born in Paris to Russian-Jewish immigrants who had fled the failed 1905 revolution, Taslitzky lost his father in World War I and became a ward of the state. He began his artistic training at age fifteen in the academies of Montparnasse, where he studied the works of masters like Rubens, Delacroix, Géricault, and Courbet at the Louvre. In 1928, he entered the École des Beaux-Arts, studying under Lucien Simon, Jacques Lipchitz, and Jean Lurçat.

Post-War Career and Impact

After the war, Taslitzky became one of the main representatives, alongside André Fougeron, of painting aligned with the Communist Party. His wartime experiences regularly emerged in monumental works such as "The Death of Danielle Casanova" (1949, Musée de l'histoire vivante, Montreuil) depicting the death of a French Communist party official's wife at Auschwitz in the style of a secular Pietà, and "The Little Camp, Buchenwald" (1957, Yad Vashem Museum, Jerusalem). His work continued to address political themes, including the Vietnam War, Pinochet's coup in Chile, and apartheid in South Africa and other significant historical events. His 1951 work "Riposte," showing Marseille dock workers refusing to load weapons for the Indochina War, was controversial enough to be removed by police from the Salon d'Automne.

Recognition for both his artistic work and wartime resistance came throughout his life. Already holding the 1939-1945 War Cross and military medal, he received the Legion of Honor in 1997 with the title "Resistance and Deportation." His works are now held in major collections including the Musée National d'Art Moderne in Paris, the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, and the Tate Modern in London. His daughter, Evelyne Taslitzky, later donated several significant works to the Museum of Jewish Art and History (mahJ), including one of his early self-portraits, a portrait of his mother, and nine Buchenwald drawings.