Auschwitz Camp
The works of artists like Halina Olomucki and Ella Liebermann-Shiber, both of whom survived the camp, document the unspeakable horrors of Auschwitz.
Compiègne Camp
Nestled south of Paris, the Compiègne Camp was under the control of the German Wehrmacht. The camp held over 54,000 people during its operation between June 1941 and August 1944.
Drancy Camp
The inmates of Drancy, the "waiting room for Auschwitz", were almost completely cut off from the outside world. Except for a few permitted hours, prisoners were forbidden to leave the buildings or the yard.
Gurs Camp
Gurs camp housed 21,790 men, women and children, and artistic activity flourished, with exhibitions of drawings and paintings held until the summer of 1942.
Kovno Ghetto
In the Kovno ghetto the Ältestenrat organized cultural events, such as concerts, lectures, literary evenings and art exhibitions.
Lodz Ghetto
Jews had developed a rich cultural and educational life in the Lodz ghetto. The community included musicians, artists and writers and two Jewish daily newspapers, one in Polish and one in Yiddish.
Malines Camp
More than 25,800 people were deported from the Malines camp in Belgium. Among them were artists whose work depicted life in the camp.
Mauthausen Camp
Mauthausen in Upper Austria was set up after the Anschluss. The first prisoners were interned on 8 August 1938 including the young artist Yehuda Bacon.
Nexon Camp
Artist Karl Schwesig documented daily camp life through drawings while imprisoned at Nexon in 1943, offering a window into the experiences of those who endured there.
Noé Camp
Vichy authorities established Noé camp as a model camp to counter criticism of harsh conditions. Unlike other camps, Noé had wooden fences, open views, greenery, and improved housing, all ultimately illusory.
Saint-Cyprien Camp
In February 1939, the first inmates arrived at the Saint-Cyprien camp. With little more than a fence around them, the camp's artists painted their fellow inmates half-naked. In October 1940, a storm destroyed most of the camp.
Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe Camp
In the Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe camp, the inmates organised cultural activities, a "little university" to which each prisoner contributed. Most of them were deported to Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
Stutthof Camp
The artist Esther Lurie drew this woman in a striped uniform in the Stutthof camp. She drew portraits of several fellow inmates and kept them hidden until liberation.
Terezin Ghetto
The Terezin ghetto inmates included many scholars, artists and writers, who organized intensive cultural activities - orchestras, opera, theatre, light entertainment and satire.
Warsaw Ghetto
Many artists, musicians, writers and intellectuals were trapped in the Warsaw Ghetto and who fought in the uprising from which only a few escaped.