Sir Sidney Nolan is most commonly known for his infamous depictions of bushranger Ned Kelly and mythology of bush life in Australia. However, Sydneysiders now have the opportunity to see a rarely exposed side of one of the country’s most well known artists. From July 21, the Sydney Jewish Museum will exhibit a collection of 50 of Nolan’s Auschwitz works that have never been seen in Australia.
The series was painted with great intensity in late 1961, during the trial of the infamous Nazi, Adolf Eichmann, and as Nolan prepared to visit Auschwitz on an art commission. Until recently, these paintings remained mostly hidden away, their stories untold for over half a century, yet they reveal a darker side of the late artist.
Nolan first painted images of concentration camps as early as 1939. Yet, his preoccupation with the camps was heightened in 1961, when he was invited to Poland by a journalist from London’s Observer newspaper to illustrate an article about Auschwitz.
In early 1962, Nolan arrived at the former death camp ready to paint. But the experience of being there – of seeing the crematoria, the mountains of shorn hair, discarded spectacles, suitcases and artificial limbs, and rows of bunks where prisoners slept – shook him so completely to his core that he decided never to paint on the subject of the Holocaust again.
“Nolan grappled to find a language to convey the horror and inhumanity of the Holocaust and wrestled to find meaning amongst the suffering. This is a visceral and emotional exhibition that puts an inimitable lens on history, drawing us beyond historical facts. It fills the gap that imagination cannot stretch to,” said Sydney Jewish Museum’s head curator, Roslyn Sugarman.
“The Museum is uniquely placed to host this exhibition. Our expertise in giving history a voice provides an ideal platform to take this art, contextualise it within historical time and place, and engage audiences through powerful imagery. This is an exhibition that will change you.”
If you haven’t yet taken the time to visit the Sydney Jewish Museum in Darlinghurst, now is the time. With an architecturally breathtaking design where four mezzanine levels are formed around a gigantic Star of David, it is a beautifully and respectfully curated space that humanises history and invites visitors to look at the present with new understanding.
Shaken To His Core: The Untold Story Of Nolan’s Auschwitz will be on display at the Sydney Jewish Museum from July 21 to October 23, 2022. Book your museum admission here.
