90 reasons to remember: Portrait of Anne Frank as old lady marks her birthday
Oil painting depicting the diarist in old age gazing from behind a mirror at her younger self will go under auction tonight
An oil painting which depicts Anne Frank gazing from behind a mirror as a 90-year-old, watching over her teenage self, will be auctioned today.
‘Reflection’ by Scottish artist Fiona Graham-Mackay will go under the hammer tonight at the Anne Frank Trust UK’s Gala Dinner.
The work shows the teenage diarist in her bedroom, in the secret Prinsengracht annexe which she and her family lived for two years, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
The older Anne is imagined clutching her famous diary, a book of her writings kept while in hiding, published after the Holocaust and which has been read worldwide and printed in more than 60 languages.
Anne, who died in February 1945 in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Germany, would have been 90-years-old today, and events have been taking place across the UK to commemorate what would have been her birthday.
Tim Robertson, Chief Executive of the Anne Frank Trust UK said the piece of art, ‘Reflection’, “is a work of considerable depth, that conjures both poignancy and optimism.
“We are enormously grateful to Fiona for her generosity in having created this piece on our behalf and are produced and excited to be able to offer it at auction.
“It is a truly fitting tribute to Anne’s memory as a writer, a create and a humanitarian.”
Fiona wrote about her work for Anne Frank Trust UK, saying that while she grew up in the Nigerian jungle “Anne Frank became a friend when I was a child”.
“Her diary was one of only four books I had in our encampment. What Anne was writing, in an odd way, drew me closer to her as a friend – I was trapped in my jungle literally with a few adults.”
She added that in preparation for creating the portrait, the Trust arranged for her to visit the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
“I walked around the house very early in the morning with the curator… before the House was open to the public. I had a true sense of the space that the family inhabited.”
“A world in nucleus. Civilised people trying to maintain a sense of normality, dignity and hope in a fearful uncertain world that was crumbling around them.”
The Anne Frank Trust UK will auction Reflection at its annual Gala tonight, to mark what would have been Anne Frank’s 90th birthday.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
