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Joseph Bau

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Joseph Bau
יוסף באו
Joseph Bau
Born(1920-06-18)18 June 1920
Kraków, Poland
Died24 May 2002(2002-05-24) (aged 81)
Tel Aviv, Israel
NationalityPolish, Israeli
EducationJan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts
University of Plastic Arts
Spouse
Rebecca Tennenbaum
​
​
(m. 1943; died 1997)​
Children2

Joseph Bau (Hebrew: יוסף באו; 18 June 1920 – 24 May 2002) was a Polish-born Israeli artist, animator and writer. A survivor of the The Holocaust, Bau was sent to Brünnlitz labor camp operated by Oskar Schindler. The wedding between him and his wife Rebecca Tennenbaum, secretly conducted in the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp, is portrayed in Steven Spielberg's movie Schindler's List. He later became known as the "Israeli Walt Disney".

Early life and career

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Bau was born 18 June 1920 to a middle-class Jewish family in Kraków. Coming from a non-religious family, he attended a non-Jewish primary school then due to Poland's race laws had to attend a Jewish high-school.[1]

After high-school, he trained as a graphic artist at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków, Poland. His education was interrupted by World War II and he was transferred to the Płaszów concentration camp in late 1942 from the Kraków Ghetto. Having a talent in gothic lettering, he was employed in the camp for making signs and maps for the Germans. 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.[2]

During his imprisonment, Bau fell in love with another prisoner, Rebecca Tennenbaum. They were secretly married, despite the prohibition by the Germans, in the women's barracks of Płaszów. Their wedding was dramatized in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning movie Schindler's List, where he was played by Rami Heuberger. Bau as himself appears in the film's epilogue placing a stone on Oskar Schindler's grave in Jerusalem, along with his wife Rebecca.[3][1]

Bau was transferred to Gross-Rosen concentration camp after Płaszów and then to Schindler's camp where he stayed until the end of the war, while Rebecca was sent to Auschwitz.[4] It was not until the release of the Schindler's List in 1993 Bau learned Rebecca, who was a manicurist for Amon Goeth and also knew of Schindler, got his name on the list, choosing him instead of herself "because my husband was more important to me than I was, and I wasn't afraid".[2][5]

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 together with his wife and three-year-old daughter, Hadassah, where their other daughter, Clila, was born. In Israel, Bau worked as a graphic artist at the Brandwein Institute in Haifa and for the government of Israel. He went on to create his own animated films and was referred to in the press as the "Israeli Walt Disney"[3] or as the "founder of Israel's animation industry".[6][7][8][9]

His wife Rebecca died in 1997. The following year, Bau's memoir Dear God, Have You Ever Gone Hungry? was published. Originally written in Hebrew the book was translated in Polish, English and several other languages.[10][5] A Kirkus reviewer noted his humor and wit in the face of inhumanity.[11] He was nominated for the Israel Prize the same year.[1][12]

Bau died in Tel Aviv on 24 May 2002, at age 81.[6]

Published works and exhibitions

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  • Baʾu, Yosef (1998). Dear God, have you ever gone hungry? memoirs (1st ed.). New York: Arcade Pub. ISBN 978-1-55970-431-1. (Republished in 2025, titled Bau: artist at war)

Exhibitions

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Legacy

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Bau's 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.[1]

The Joseph Bau House Museum, located in Tel-Aviv, is a studio that contains Bau's works, personal documents and other works.[17] In 2024, the museum was designated as one of the “Best of the Best” for Specialty Museums in Israel by TripAdvisor.[18]

In 2024 the film Bau, Artist at War about the lives of Rebecca and Joseph was released, directed by Sean McNamara and starring Emile Hirsch. The theatrical release is scheduled for September 2025.[19][20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Joseph Bau". The Daily Telegraph. 6 June 2002. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  2. ^ a b Ko, Michael (3 November 1998). "Artist's Work Defies The Horror". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  3. ^ a b "Joseph Bau, 81". The Chicago Tribune. June 14, 2002. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  4. ^ Hundley, Tom (19 December 1993). "'Schindler' Couple Recall Terror". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  5. ^ a b c Dovere, Maxine (2021-02-13). "Israel's Walt Disney: The story and legacy of Joseph Bau". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2025-04-14.
  6. ^ a b Joffe, Lawrence (10 July 2002). "Obituary: Joseph Bau". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  7. ^ Davis, Barry (Apr 13, 2001). "Unsung artist and survivor". The Jerusalem Post. p. 24. ProQuest 319315423.
  8. ^ Hershenson, Sarah (Jun 28, 2002). "A life of laughter". The Jerusalem Post. p. 23. ProQuest 319345661.
  9. ^ Penman, Danny (Sep 27, 1994). "Death camp artist's drawings to be sold". The Independent. ProQuest 313226969.
  10. ^ Haas, Danielle (Apr 30, 1998). "The Fall of the House of Bau". The Jerusalem Report. p. 49. ProQuest 218761817.
  11. ^ DEAR GOD, HAVE YOU EVER GONE HUNGRY? | Kirkus Reviews. June 15, 1998.
  12. ^ McLellan, Dennis (2002-06-13). "Joseph Bau, 81; Israeli Artist, Animator, Holocaust Survivor". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  13. ^ Dorsey, John (Mar 25, 1998). "Bau's past informs his best images; Art review". The Baltimore Sun. pp. 4E. ProQuest 407033883.
  14. ^ Lieberman, Steve (Jan 30, 2007). "Holocaust art by father of Pomona woman featured at United Nations". The Journal News. ProQuest 442902376.
  15. ^ Sedia, Giuseppe (September 7, 2012). "Josef Bau: Israel's Walt Disney and Mapmaker of Hell". The Krakow Post. Archived from the original on 2014-10-06.
  16. ^ "Events". Sun Sentinel. 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  17. ^ "Save Israel's Joseph Bau House, the Tel Aviv art museum". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2022-08-27. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  18. ^ "THE 10 BEST Israel Specialty Museums (Updated 2024) - Tripadvisor". Tripadvisor. Archived from the original on 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  19. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (2024-11-15). "Emile Hirsch's Holocaust Drama 'Bau: Artist at War' Gets Early 2025 Release and Trailer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  20. ^ "Holocaust drama 'Bau, Artist at War' to premiere in September". JNS.org. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
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