Flight and Hope

The choice to testify to the horrors of history is a courageous one. Becoming a Witness: from Abstraction to Figuration explores Samuel Bak’s struggle to represent his experiences during the Holocaust. From 1958 until 1966, Bak used abstraction to discreetly allude to his past, at a time when the testimonies of survivors of the Shoah went unheard.

This exhibition examines how he devised a novel approach to painting in the late sixties to commemorate the six million lives lost and question the endless cycles of war and genocide that plague our world. These works interrogate our relationships to one another; our responses in moments of conflict; our perpetuation of prejudice and fear; and our inability to maintain peace.

Yet he also gives us hope –that acknowledges mistakes and catastrophe while allowing for reconstruction and healing after destruction.

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Special Events

An Afternoon with Samuel Bak
April 13, 2024: In celebration of Samuel Bak Museum: The Learning Center's one year anniversary, Samuel Bak joined Chief Curator Alexandra Cardon via Zoom. They discussed the Museum's first year, the exhibition "Becoming a Witness: From Abstraction to Figuration," and Bak's reflection about his work and its importance in bearing witness to history. The discussion included an in-depth look at some favorite works of art in the Museum's collection.

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Sponsors

Exhibition funding generously sponsored by Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund, Omaha Steaks, Anonymous, Mutual of Omaha, Valmont, Shirley and Leonard Goldstein Supporting Foundation and Nebraska Arts Council | Nebraska Cultural Endowment.