“The Nazi Drawings” by Mauricio Lasansky
Mauricio Lasansky (American, b. Argentina, 1914–2012). No. 5, 1961, “The Nazi Drawings.” Graphite, charcoal, brush and asphaltum turpentine and red wash, on card paper, two sheets, with some torn edges, 68 1/2 x 22 1/4 in. Levitt Foundation © Lasansky Corporation.
September 17 – March 5
Located on the first floor of The Baker Museum
TThe son of Jewish immigrants in Argentina, Mauricio Lasansky (1914-2012) moved to the United States in 1943. He forged a flourishing career as a printmaker and draftsman, first in New York and then from studios in Iowa and Maine. His work often explored themes of war and violence. In 1961, coinciding with the televised trial of the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, he began a series of monumental drawings to grapple with the Holocaust. Confronted with the atrocities, he said, “I was full of hate, poison, and I wanted to spit it out.” The self-titled series “The Nazi Drawings” is his visceral response to the horrors committed in Nazi concentration camps.
Haunting and raw, Envisioning Evil features his series of 33 monumental drawings made with pencil, turpentine and earth colors. The exhibition, over 50 years after the series’ original tour, is its first comprehensive presentation in a generation. Archival media of the Eichmann trial will also be shown.
Visit the Exhibition
Reserve your museum tickets online.
Museum Admission
To advance the understanding of the Holocaust, The Baker Museum has partnered with the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center, Naples, to offer reciprocal $5 discounted admission for the exhibition’s duration. Present your ticket within a week of your visit to The Baker Museum for $5 discounted admission at the Holocaust Museum & Cohen Education Center. Visitors to the Holocaust Museum will also receive $5 discounts at The Baker Museum when presenting tickets within a week of their visit.
Selected Works
Mauricio Lasansky (American, b. Argentina, 1914–2012). Triptych, 1963-71, “The Nazi Drawings.” Graphite and charcoal, with erasures, brush and asphaltum turpentine, red, and white wash, with splatters of red wash, cut, torn and pasted newspaper and paper, on card paper, torn at right corner, 238 4/5 x 304 1/5 in. Levitt Foundation © Lasansky Corporation.
Mauricio Lasansky (American, b. Argentina, 1914–2012). No. 14, 1963, “The Nazi Drawings.” Graphite and charcoal, with erasures, brush and asphaltum turpentine on card paper, with some torn edges, 73 x 43 1/4 in. Levitt Foundation © Lasansky Corporation.
Mauricio Lasansky (American, b. Argentina, 1914–2012). No. 15, 1963, “The Nazi Drawings.” Graphite and charcoal, with erasures, brush and asphaltum turpentine on card paper, 65 x 45 1/4 in. Levitt Foundation © Lasansky Corporation.
Mauricio Lasansky (American, b. Argentina, 1914–2012). No. 24, 1961-66, “The Nazi Drawings.” Graphite with erasures, brush and asphaltum terpentine and red wash, with touches of charcoal, stencil, on card paper, 43 3/8 x 39 1/4 in. Levitt Foundation © Lasansky Corporation.
Mauricio Lasansky (American, b. Argentina, 1914–2012). No. 29, 1965-66, “The Nazi Drawings.” Graphite and charcoal, with erasures, brush and asphaltum turpentine and red wash, with splatters of red wash and touches of green pastel, cut and pasted intaglio print (pope’s head and miter hat), tape, biblical scripture and paper, on card paper, two sheets, with torn upper corners, 77 x 44 1/8 in. Levitt Foundation © Lasansky Corporation.
Mauricio Lasansky working on “The Nazi Drawings” in his studio, 1962, Vinalhaven, Maine. Photo courtesy the Lasansky Corporation.
Associated Events
Envisioning Evil: “The Nazi Drawings” by Mauricio Lasansky is organized by the Minneapolis Institute of Art and lent by The Levitt Foundation. Generous support provided by Margaret and Angus Wurtele, Beverly Grossman, John and Ruth Huss Fund, Erwin and Miriam Kelen, John and Nancy Lindahl, Sheila Morgan, Donna and James Pohlad, through the Eloise and Carl Pohlad Family Fund, the Lynne and Andrew Redleaf Foundation, Laurie and Ronald Eibensteiner, Stephen and Sheila Lieberman, Sheldon and Lili Chester, Andrew Grossman, Irving and Marjorie Weiser, and John and Marsha Soucheray. The exhibition is curated by Rachel McGarry, Ph.D., Elizabeth MacMillan chair of European art and curator of European paintings and works on paper at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The presentation of this exhibition at Artis—Naples, The Baker Museum, and is curated by Rangsook Yoon, Ph.D., curator of modern art.