The Shoah Museum in Rome has added a poignant piece by contemporary pop artist aleXsandro Palombo to its permanent collection after the artwork, honoring Holocaust survivors, was repeatedly vandalized. The mural portrays Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano, two of the last Italian survivors of Auschwitz, wearing striped clothing, protective vests, and yellow Stars of David. Disturbingly, the vandals defaced the faces of Segre and Modiano and the stars on their chests, yet left the tattooed numbers on their arms untouched. Segre remarked, "They took away my face, my identity, they erased the yellow star, but they left the number tattooed on my arm."
aleXsandro Palombo's mural depicting Holocaust survivors Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano before it was vandalized (aleXsandro Palombo)
aleXsandro Palombo's mural depicting Holocaust survivors Liliana Segre and Sami Modiano after it was vandalized (aleXsandro Palombo)
Palombo, reflecting on the incident, stated, "Art is the highest expression of freedom, and repeatedly attacking a work that portrays two survivors of Auschwitz highlights how the very value of democracy and all our freedoms is in danger. The courageous response of the Shoah Museum and the Italian Jewish community is a powerful lesson for us all, demonstrating how to confront antisemitic hatred and these new forms of social and cultural terrorism." This isn't an isolated incident; other works by Palombo commemorating the Holocaust have also been targeted. A piece titled "Arbeit macht frei" (work makes you free), featuring Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck wrapped in an Israeli flag, was also defaced, with a significant portion of the flag erased. Bruck, though saddened, expressed that she wasn't surprised, referring to antisemitism as a "tsunami." This mural, too, has been acquired by the Rome Shoah Museum.
aleXsandro Palombo's mural of Hungarian writer and Holocaust survivor Edith Bruck before and after it was defaced by vandals (aleXsandro Palombo)
Yet another vandalized piece, "Halt! Stoj!", depicts Segre, Modiano, and Bruck alongside Pope Francis, who holds a sign reading "antisemitism is everywhere." Rendered in Palombo’s signature Simpsons style, the artwork saw the Stars of David on the Holocaust survivors defaced, while the image of the Pope remained untouched. Palombo, known for incorporating pop culture icons and cartoon characters into his work, previously created the impactful "Simpsons deported to Auschwitz" series.
aleXsandro Palombo's mural of three Holocaust survivors and Pope Francis before and after it was vandalized. (aleXsandro Palombo)
