Erich Kahn
Encyclopedia
Erich Kahn was a German Expressionist, and a survivor of the Nazi
persecution of Jews
and Gypsies during the events that led to World War II
.
until, persecuted by Nazis, he found himself imprisoned at the Welzheim
concentration camp. After taking refuge in England
, he was interned for a while at Hutchinson Camp, on the Isle of Man
. He died in London
, at the age of 75.
The Berardo Collection has acquired a large part of Erich Kahn's body of work, which testifies to the richness of a life that even surpasses the biography A Painter's Life and Time, written by Klaus E. Hinrichsen, an art historian who was his friend for many years.
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
persecution of Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Gypsies during the events that led to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Biography
He was born and lived in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
until, persecuted by Nazis, he found himself imprisoned at the Welzheim
Welzheim
Welzheim is a town in the Rems-Murr district, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located 35 km east of Stuttgart, and 15 km northwest of Schwäbisch Gmünd....
concentration camp. After taking refuge in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he was interned for a while at Hutchinson Camp, on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, at the age of 75.
Work
Kahn's work has become lost in the twists and turns of history. The main reason for that lies in the fact that he belongs to what came to be known as the "Forgotten Generation" of German Jewish Expressionism-influenced artists born at the beginning of the 20th century, whose careers were nipped in the bud by the ascension of Nazism. Forced into exile to survive, they found themselves forever bereft of their identity, "caught between yesterday and tomorrow".The Berardo Collection has acquired a large part of Erich Kahn's body of work, which testifies to the richness of a life that even surpasses the biography A Painter's Life and Time, written by Klaus E. Hinrichsen, an art historian who was his friend for many years.