A Czechoslovakian Jew who was imprisoned at Auschwitz, Dina
Gottliebova-Babbitt (1923-2009) was saved by her artistic abilities.
Gottliebova painted the walls of the children's barracks with images of
the Disney film Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. When Josef Mengele
discovered her talent, he commissioned her to paint watercolor portraits
of Roma prisoners. After the war, Gottliebova worked as an animator for
Warner Brothers for many years, eventually marrying Walt Disney animator
Art Babbitt. Many years later, Gottliebova's Auschwitz paintings were
recovered and displayed at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. When the
artist requested that her paintings be returned, her request was denied.
The dispute escalated into an international scandal with the American
and Polish governments becoming involved. Gottliebova passed away in
2009 without having her works returned.
Watercolours is Gottliebova's story. Journalist Lidia Ostalowska
reconstructs Gottliebova's time in Auschwitz, with an eye to broader
issues of historical memory, trauma, racism, and the relationship
between torturer and victim. Drawing on hundreds of accounts of the
hellish camp, Ostalowska tells the story of one remarkable woman's
incarceration and battle for survival.
