Helmut Loewenstein (1934-1943)

Original oil on canvas from the series „Auschwitz: Children of Jacob”

A memorial portrait of 9-year-old Dutch-Jewish boy Helmut Loewenstein (1934–1943) from Eindhoven, deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau and murdered in a gas chamber.

Medium: Oil on canvas | 60 × 80 cm (23.6 × 31.5 in) | 2026
Status: Non-commercial / Memorial Project (Not for Sale – dedicated exclusively to museum exhibitions, memorial sites, and institutional display).

Gaze Beyond Time: Helmut Loewenstein

Helmut Loewenstein was born in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, on October 8, 1934. His early childhood unfolded under the darkening horizon of Nazi occupation, which progressively stripped Dutch Jews of their freedom and fundamental human rights. In November 1943, at nine years of age, Helmut was deported to the Auschwitz-Birkenau German Nazi concentration and extermination camp and murdered in a gas chamber immediately following selection.

In his portrait of Helmut Loewenstein, Marek Hausmann transcends the historical detachment of archival documentation. Through the tactile richness of oil impasto, deliberate chiaroscuro, and a focused engagement with the boy’s piercing gaze, the work functions as an enduring act of restitution—reclaiming stolen dignity, personal identity, and vital presence from the anonymity of the Shoah.

This artwork is strictly non-commercial and forms part of the institutional series „Auschwitz: Children of Jacob”, curated exclusively for presentation in museums, historical synagogues, and educational memorial institutions across the globe.