Paul Benney 'Survivors : Portraits of the Holocaust' for the Royal Collection & BBC

Paul Benney was commissioned to paint one of the seven portraits of the UK's last remaining Holocaust survivors which have gone on display at the Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Prince of Wales commissioned the portraits as an enduring reminder of the horrors of the Nazi regime in World War Two and in tribute to the Jewish refugees who made their home in Britain. He said: "Seven portraits. Seven faces. Each a survivor of the horrors of those years, who sought refuge and a home in Britain after the war, becoming an integral part of the fabric of our nation. However, these portraits represent something far greater than seven remarkable individuals. They stand as a living memorial to the six million innocent men, women and children whose stories will never be told, whose portraits will never be painted.”

The sitters and artists of the portraits are Helen Aronson BEM painted by Paul Benney, Lily Ebert BEM painted by Ishbel Myerscough, Manfred Goldberg painted by Clara Drummond, Arek Hersh painted by Massimilino Pironti, Anita Lasker Wallfisch painted by Peter Kuhfeld, Rachel Levy painted by Stuart Pearson Wright and Zigi Shipper BEM painted by Jenny Saville. The profoundly moving portraits, which will become part of the Royal Collection, stand as a powerful testament to the extraordinary resilience and courage of those who survived.

A BBC documentary about the project to create portraits of Holocaust survivors living in Britain, called 'Survivors: Portraits of the Holocaust', was broadcast on BBC Two at 21:00 GMT on Thursday 27 January 2022 and is now available on iPlayer. Throughout the programme, we hear the testimonies of the remarkable men and women who were children when they witnessed one of the greatest atrocities in human history, as well as meeting the artists as they grapple with their paintings. We see some of the sittings and witness the touching friendships that have emerged between artist and sitter over the course of nearly two years.


To view the programme on IPlayer click here

For more information on Paul Benney click here