![Joseph Bau Museum in Tel Aviv](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Joseph_Bau_Museum_in_Tel_Aviv.JPG)
Joseph Bau ( he, יוסף באו; 13 June 1920 – 24 May 2002) was a
Polish-born Israeli artist, philosopher, inventor, animator, comedian, commercial creator, copy-writer, poet, and survivor of the
Płaszów concentration camp.
Life
Bau was trained as a graphic artist at the
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts
The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków ( pl, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych im. Jana Matejki w Krakowie, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Pol ...
in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
. His education was interrupted by World War II and he was transferred to the
Płaszów concentration camp in late 1942 from the
Kraków Ghetto
The Kraków Ghetto was one of five major metropolitan Nazi ghettos created by Germany in the new General Government territory during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It was established for the purpose of exploitation, terror, and ...
. Having a talent in gothic lettering, he was employed in the camp for making signs and maps for the
Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
. While in Płaszów, Bau created a miniature, the size of his hand, illustrated book with his own poetry. He also forged documents and identity papers for people who managed to escape from the camp.
During his imprisonment, Bau fell in love with another inmate, Rebecca Tennenbaum. They were secretly married, despite the prohibition by the Germans, in the women's barracks of Płaszów. This was dramatized in
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
's
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
-winning movie ''
Schindler's List
''Schindler's List'' is a 1993 American epic historical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the 1982 novel ''Schindler's Ark'' by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally. The film fo ...
'', where he was played by
Rami Heuberger
Rami Heuberger (Hebrew: רמי הויברגר; born October 12, 1963) is an Israeli director, actor and entertainer.
Biography Career in the theater
After his army service, Heuberger studied acting at Nissan Nativ's acting studio in Tel Aviv. A ...
. Bau himself appears in the film's epilogue placing a stone on
Oskar Schindler's grave in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, along with his wife Rebecca.
After Płaszów, Bau was transferred to
Gross-Rosen concentration camp
, known for =
, location =
, built by =
, operated by =
, commandant =
, original use =
, construction =
, in operation = Summer of 1940 – 14 February 1945
, gas cham ...
and then to
Schindler's camp where he stayed until the end of the war, while Rebecca was sent to
Auschwitz
Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...
. After liberation, Bau was reunited with his wife and finished his degree at University of Plastic Arts in Kraków. In 1950, he immigrated to
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
together with his wife and three-year-old daughter, Hadassah, where their other daughter, Clila, was born. He worked as a graphic artist at the Brandwein Institute in
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
and for the government of Israel. Bau opened his own studio in 1956 in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
, which is now a museum managed by his daughters. He was well known for creating graphic fonts and drawing titles for Israeli films in the 1960s and 1970s. He also authored a number of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
books and write poetry.
Bau's wife Rebecca died in 1997. Bau died from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
in
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
on 24 May 2002, at age 81.
Works
The English version of Joseph Bau's memoir, ''Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry?'' came out in June 1998. It was first published in Hebrew and Polish and was published in several languages, including Chinese.
Joseph Bau also created his own animated films, for which he has been referred to in the press as the "Israeli Walt Disney"
or as the "founder of Israel's animation industry".
His paintings and drawings have been listed by Sotheby's as significant contributions to the art of the Holocaust and his works have been shown in galleries in the US.
Joseph Bau's art is filtered through the prism of his own experiences. It reflects both the brutal reality of life during the war, as well as the joy and humour he observed in later years in Israel. Joseph Bau was nominated for the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
in 1998.
References
External links
Joseph Bau's Home Page
* Giuseppe Sedia
''Josef Bau: Israel’s Walt Disney and Mapmaker of Hell'', in
The Krakow Post 7 September 2012.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bau, Joseph
1920 births
2002 deaths
Polish Jews in Israel
20th-century Israeli Jews
20th-century Polish Jews
Citizens of Israel through Law of Return
20th-century Israeli male writers
20th-century Israeli male artists
Gross-Rosen concentration camp survivors
Israeli animators
Israeli animated film directors
Polish animated film directors
Israeli illustrators
Jewish Israeli writers
Israeli memoirists
Israeli male poets
Jewish Combat Organization members
Jewish Israeli artists
Jewish poets
Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp survivors
Kraków Ghetto inmates
Polish cartoonists
Polish emigrants to Israel
Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent
Schindlerjuden
Burials at Nahalat Yitzhak Cemetery
Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts alumni
20th-century memoirists
Deaths from pneumonia in Israel