Witness of the Holocaust. Artist Zinovy ​​Tolkachov

For the first time, a conceptual monographic view of the artistic work of the Ukrainian painter and graphic artist Zinovy ​​Tolkachov (25.02.1903–30.08.1977) is presented, which was largely connected with the coverage of the Holocaust during World War II. A student of VKHUTEMAS, a graduate of the graphic faculty of the Kyiv Art Institute (1930), Tolkachov participated in the civil and German-Soviet wars, in particular, liberating prisoners of the Majdanek and Auschwitz concentration camps. Zynoviy Tolkachov is the author of the painting series "Auschwitz" (1967–1968), the graphic series "Occupants" (1942), "Majdanek" (1944), "Auschwitz", "Flowers of Auschwitz", "Christus na Maidanku" (1945), "Mistechko" (1946), illustrations for the works of L. Pervomaisky, B. Brecht, E.-M. Remarque, participated in the competition for designs for a monument to the victims of Nazism in Babyn Yar (1965), exhibitions in memory of Sholem Aleichem (1939, 1966), etc.

The book outlines the socio-political motivations, highlights the creative principles, and the main artistic features that led to the creation of Tolkachov's graphic series and determine their place in world artistic culture, associated with the themes of violent death and victory over death through the means of art.