Josef Nassy
Encyclopedia
Josef Nassy was a black expatriate artist of Jewish descent. Nassy was living in Belgium
when World War II
began, and was one of about 2,000 civilians holding American passports
who were confined in German internment camps
during the war.
Born Joseph Johan Cosmo Nassy in Paramaribo, Suriname
(Dutch Guiana), Nassy was the son of a well-to-do businessman. He was descended on his father's side from Jews who had fled Spain
during the Inquisition
, although by his grandparents' generation the family no longer practiced Judaism
. In 1919, Nassy began to live with his father, who had moved to New York. He graduated from high school and, in 1926, earned a certificate in electrical engineering. In 1929, Nassy went to England, where he was employed in the installation of sound systems for a film company. The following year he was sent to Paris
and then to Belgium
for the same purpose. Before leaving for Europe, Nassy had obtained an American passport under the name Josef Nassy. He apparently claimed that he was born in San Francisco in 1899. Since San Francisco's public records had been destroyed in the earthquake of 1906
, authorities issued the passport without further investigation.
Nassy continued to work for the same firm until 1934, when he decided to study painting. He was admitted to an academy of fine arts in Brussels, Belgium. In 1939, he married a Belgian and began earning a living as a portrait artist. The Germans occupied Belgium in May 1940, but Nassy and his wife did not leave. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
in December 1941, the United States entered World War II. On April 14, 1942, four months after the United States entered the war, Nassy was arrested as an enemy national in German-occupied Belgium. For seven months, he was held in the Beverloo transit camp in Leopoldsburg, Belgium. He was then transferred to Germany. He spent the rest of the war at the Laufen internment camp and its subcamp, Tittmoning, both in Upper Bavaria.
Throughout his three-year imprisonment, Nassy created a unique visual diary of more than 200 paintings and drawings. Many of these works depict daily life in the internment camps. Rules of the Geneva Conventions governed conditions in civilian internment camps, including Laufen and Tittmoning in Nazi Germany where Nassy was confined from 1942 to 1945. Such rules did not apply at the nearby Dachau concentration camp and other camps across German-occupied Europe. There, prisoners were brutally exploited for forced labor, and many died from exhaustion, starvation, and other harsh conditions.
Nassy and other internees in Laufen and Tittmoning were not detailed for forced labor. They usually had enough food, thanks to Red Cross
packages that supplemented German rations of bread and soup. The International YMCA
supplied Nassy with sketch pads, pencils, crayons, oil paints, and painting boards--materials that were not available in concentration camps, where imprisoned artists who sketched clandestinely were forced to improvise using scraps of paper or supplies stolen from the Germans. The camp commandant actually encouraged Nassy to paint and give art lessons to other internees; however the life that Nassy depicted was obviously restricted. His works stressed features such as barbed wire, watchtowers, walls, gates, and prison bars.
By early 1945, 850 men holding American and British passports were interned at Laufen and Tittmoning. Many of the Americans were expatriates whose immigrant parents had returned to Europe for various reasons in the 1920s and 1930s. A dozen blacks
and about 50 Jews were also interned at these camps. Many of the Jews had obtained false papers showing British, U.S., or South American citizenship.
The U.S. Third Army liberated Laufen on May 5, 1945. Nassy and nearly all the internees at Laufen and Tittmoning survived the war. A year after liberation, Nassy was repatriated to Belgium. He succeeded in getting all his works out of Germany and in the following years participated in a number of expositions of Holocaust art. He often expressed the hope that his works be kept together. Severin Wunderman, a California businessman and art collector, purchased much of Nassy collection in 1984. In 1992, he donated that collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
. At least 19 paintings from Laufen and during his recovery in Belgium upon release exist in private hands.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
when 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...
began, and was one of about 2,000 civilians holding American passports
United States passport
United States passports are passports issued to citizens and non-citizen nationals of the United States of America. They are issued exclusively by the U.S. Department of State. Besides issuing passports , also limited use passport cards are issued by the same organization subject to the same...
who were confined in German internment camps
Ilag
Ilag is an abbreviation of the German word Internierungslager. They were internment camps established by the German Army in World War II to hold Allied civilians, caught in areas that were occupied by the German Army...
during the war.
Born Joseph Johan Cosmo Nassy in Paramaribo, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
(Dutch Guiana), Nassy was the son of a well-to-do businessman. He was descended on his father's side from Jews who had fled Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
, although by his grandparents' generation the family no longer practiced Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. In 1919, Nassy began to live with his father, who had moved to New York. He graduated from high school and, in 1926, earned a certificate in electrical engineering. In 1929, Nassy went to England, where he was employed in the installation of sound systems for a film company. The following year he was sent to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and then to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
for the same purpose. Before leaving for Europe, Nassy had obtained an American passport under the name Josef Nassy. He apparently claimed that he was born in San Francisco in 1899. Since San Francisco's public records had been destroyed in the earthquake of 1906
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, authorities issued the passport without further investigation.
Nassy continued to work for the same firm until 1934, when he decided to study painting. He was admitted to an academy of fine arts in Brussels, Belgium. In 1939, he married a Belgian and began earning a living as a portrait artist. The Germans occupied Belgium in May 1940, but Nassy and his wife did not leave. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
in December 1941, the United States entered World War II. On April 14, 1942, four months after the United States entered the war, Nassy was arrested as an enemy national in German-occupied Belgium. For seven months, he was held in the Beverloo transit camp in Leopoldsburg, Belgium. He was then transferred to Germany. He spent the rest of the war at the Laufen internment camp and its subcamp, Tittmoning, both in Upper Bavaria.
Throughout his three-year imprisonment, Nassy created a unique visual diary of more than 200 paintings and drawings. Many of these works depict daily life in the internment camps. Rules of the Geneva Conventions governed conditions in civilian internment camps, including Laufen and Tittmoning in Nazi Germany where Nassy was confined from 1942 to 1945. Such rules did not apply at the nearby Dachau concentration camp and other camps across German-occupied Europe. There, prisoners were brutally exploited for forced labor, and many died from exhaustion, starvation, and other harsh conditions.
Nassy and other internees in Laufen and Tittmoning were not detailed for forced labor. They usually had enough food, thanks to Red Cross
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
packages that supplemented German rations of bread and soup. The International YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
supplied Nassy with sketch pads, pencils, crayons, oil paints, and painting boards--materials that were not available in concentration camps, where imprisoned artists who sketched clandestinely were forced to improvise using scraps of paper or supplies stolen from the Germans. The camp commandant actually encouraged Nassy to paint and give art lessons to other internees; however the life that Nassy depicted was obviously restricted. His works stressed features such as barbed wire, watchtowers, walls, gates, and prison bars.
By early 1945, 850 men holding American and British passports were interned at Laufen and Tittmoning. Many of the Americans were expatriates whose immigrant parents had returned to Europe for various reasons in the 1920s and 1930s. A dozen blacks
History of Blacks in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust
The treatment of blacks in Nazi Germany was generally indifferent. The main reason for this was the fluid, non-straightforward racial policies of the Nazis, which were influenced by daily politics, leading to complex and sometimes contradicting policies...
and about 50 Jews were also interned at these camps. Many of the Jews had obtained false papers showing British, U.S., or South American citizenship.
The U.S. Third Army liberated Laufen on May 5, 1945. Nassy and nearly all the internees at Laufen and Tittmoning survived the war. A year after liberation, Nassy was repatriated to Belgium. He succeeded in getting all his works out of Germany and in the following years participated in a number of expositions of Holocaust art. He often expressed the hope that his works be kept together. Severin Wunderman, a California businessman and art collector, purchased much of Nassy collection in 1984. In 1992, he donated that collection to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
. At least 19 paintings from Laufen and during his recovery in Belgium upon release exist in private hands.
External links
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - Josef Nassy