Lost Flowers

Mindy Weisel

1979

Painting with thick border of abstract flower with hand shapes and Hebrew word in its center.
In the 1970s, Weisel, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, made a series of abstract paintings inspired by her father’s tattoo from Auschwitz. The central rectangle in this painting resembles a palimpsest blotting out what hides underneath. The Hebrew word Shema (Hear)—the first word of the prayer (Deuteronomy 6:5) that is the Jewish profession of faith—can be seen but seems on the point of dissolution. Weisel’s father’s tattoo number is faintly visible in the light-colored border on the left side of the blackened rectangle.

Credits

Private collection. Courtesy of the artist.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 10.

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Creator Bio

Mindy Weisel

b. 1947

American artist Mindy Weisel was born in a displaced persons’ camp on the site of the former Bergen Belsen concentration camp. Her parents’ experiences as survivors of Auschwitz serve as inspiration for many of her artworks. She works in a variety of media, including oils, water colors, glass, and metal. Weisel is also the author and editor of several books, including Daughters of Absence: Transforming a Legacy of Loss (2001).

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