What: The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) is pleased to present Loss and Affirmation: Illustrations and Drawings by William Pachner. This collection was donated to the Museum in 2016 by Pachner’s children, Anne and Charles Pachner. The works were painted during World War II and in the years immediately following.

Who: William Pachner was born in Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire (later Czechoslovakia) in 1915. He left his home and family to pursue a career in commercial illustration in the United States in 1939 only a few days before the Nazis occupied Czechoslovakia. When the war ended in 1945 and he received confirmation that his parents and brother were murdered, Pachner said: “Never again will my hand be hired. From now on, I shall use whatever gifts I have to bear witness to my experience.”

Why: With a family to support, he left the well-paid world of commercial art and became a studio artist. Turning to his work, Pachner used pen and paper, paint and canvas to communicate his grief and his reaction to man’s inhumanity to man. The artworks made during the period directly following the war convey feelings of despair, anger and bitterness. Following these, his work focused on human connection, comfort, and affirmation.

Who Should Attend: All members of the community are invited to attend. 

When: The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. and is on display at The Florida Holocaust Museum through Sunday, January 5, 2020.  Where: The Florida Holocaust Museum, 55 5th Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.