ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Visions de la Shoah: transgression ou grotesque

opinion-review · 2026-04-23

The article examines how the Nazi extermination of Jews was initially sidelined after WWII by national ideologies like the Resistance in France and Zionism in Israel, before gradually entering public consciousness. It discusses artistic representations of the Holocaust, questioning whether they are transgressive or grotesque.

Key facts

  • The article is from artpress, published July 1, 1996.
  • After WWII, the Holocaust was quickly relegated to the background behind national ideologies.
  • In France, the ideology of the Resistance overshadowed the Holocaust.
  • In Israel, Zionism overshadowed the Holocaust.
  • The extermination of Jews by Nazis began to emerge in consciousness only later.
  • The article questions whether artistic visions of the Shoah are transgressive or grotesque.

Entities

Institutions

  • artpress

Locations

  • France
  • Israel

Sources