Edith Birkin Art
Edith Birkin née Hofmann was a Jewish artist and writer. Born in Prague, she spent her later years in Britain and was a vocal survivor of the Holocaust. In 1941, aged 14, Birkin was sent with her family to the Lodz Jewish ghetto in Poland. Birkin’s parents died within their first year there. When the Lodz ghetto was liquidated in 1944, Birkin was sent to the concentration camp at Auschwitz, before being selected for slave labor and sent to another camp in eastern Germany. In January 1945, with the Russians now advancing into Germany, the laborers were sent on a death march across Germany to Bavaria, where they were loaded onto cattle trucks. After a week in crowded conditions, Birkin arrived in Bergen-Belsen on 15 March 1945. She was liberated a month later. Birkin returned to Prague at the end of the war to discover that none of her family had survived. In 1946, Birkin moved to England, where she became a teacher and went on to adopt three children. In the 1970s she studied A-level History of Modern Art and went on to take a course in fine art. Birkin has painted a series of paintings in response to her experiences and also written a book of poems titled The Last Goodbye. While her Holocaust paintings reflect the sense of loneliness or isolation experienced by so many, she was also heavily influenced artistically by her friendship with the late artist John Cherrington. Birkin’s Holocaust paintings have been donated by her family to relevant institutions around the world. Her work can also be found in the collection at the Imperial War Museum, London, Ben Uri Gallery & Museum, Birmingham Museums Trust and Hereford Museum & Art Gallery.
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Pastel
1990s Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Pastel
2010s Expressionist Edith Birkin Art
Paper, Pastel
1990s Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Pastel, Found Objects, Acrylic
1920s Art Deco Edith Birkin Art
Paper, Pastel
2010s Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Copper
Late 20th Century Modern Edith Birkin Art
Charcoal, Pastel
Artist Comments
The artwork depicts a snapshot of modern urban life, where people on the streets are glued to their phones. Whether chatting, checking notifications, or scrolling through feeds, the scene shows how busy a city can be in the digital age. Using a harmonious palette mostly with warm orange tones, the painting exudes a vibrant and inviting atmosphere. Loose brushstrokes infuse the composition with liveliness.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: street, walking, cellphone, crowd, walking, urban, crowd, pedestrians, shadow, warm, people, primitive, oil painting, orange
Regressive
Connie Millholland...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Edith Birkin Art
Oil
Artist Comments
The painting depicts a typical day of commuting, with passengers lost in thought or absorbed in their phones as they await their stops. The lack of direct interaction between them highlights the solitary yet collective experience of modern urban life. Their different colored attire adds vibrancy to the everyday scene.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: bus, cellphone, waiting, sitting, autumn, season, travel, sitting, text, vehicle, people, travel, primitive, oil painting, beige
Bus People
Connie Millholland...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Edith Birkin Art
Oil
Artist Comments
This painting draws inspiration from an old photograph from 1945, capturing a joyous moment of five ladies holding hands in celebration. Their faces light up with smiles and laughter, radiating an infectious delight. The contrasting colors of red and green bring a simple yet visually harmonious element to the scene.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: happy, joy, celebration, women, woman, dancing, dress, friends, friendship, people, fashion, primitive, oil painting, pink
1945
Connie Millholland...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Edith Birkin Art
Oil
Artist Comments
In a subway station, commuters engage in various pastimes as they wait for the train to arrive. One reads a newspaper, another talks on a cell phone, while the rest occupy themselves with their thoughts. Amidst the bustle, mumbled conversations, and rumbling railway noises, the red-haired woman sits with her eyes closed, immersed in a contemplative moment.
About the Artist
Words that describe this painting: train, subway, cellphone, newspaper, reading, waiting, Isabel Bishop, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, primitivism, travel, text, urban, people, travel, primitive, oil painting, grey
Anywhere
Connie Millholland...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Edith Birkin Art
Oil
Artist Comments
A young woman wearing a matching gray dress and boots stops in the middle of a city street. Her eyes widen as she looks back on so...
21st Century and Contemporary Outsider Art Edith Birkin Art
Oil
2010s Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Canvas, Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Oil
21st Century and Contemporary Edith Birkin Art
Acrylic
20th Century Edith Birkin Art
Oil