Documenting Atrocity

The paintings and collages of artist Helga Wolfenstein King are fascinating pieces on their own. They blur the line between abstract and figural, capturing the essences of people and places with a rough-hewn grace. But the work is even more impressive when you know the artist's backstory: From 1941 to...

By John Thomason

October 25, 2012

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The paintings and collages of artist Helga Wolfenstein King are fascinating pieces on their own. They blur the line between abstract and figural, capturing the essences of people and places with a rough-hewn grace. But the work is even more impressive when you know the artist's backstory: From 1941 to 1945, as a Czech teenager, King was employed as a draftsperson in a concentration camp, producing Nazi propaganda. At the same time, she risked discovery and death by painting harrowing images of Jewish ghettos, some of which survive to this day. King, who died in 2003, would later enjoy a prolific career as a fine artist in Lake Worth, and her works, dating back to 1946, will be exhibited and sold at ArtServe through November 29 in a show titled "The Art of Survival." Ten percent of proceeds will benefit the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. ArtServe is located at 1350 E. Sunrise Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. Call 954-462-8190, or visit artserve.org. John Thomason
Nov. 2-29, 2012

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