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|  | Hitler controversy in Haifa Photo: AP
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Hitler prints on show in Haifa
Controversy: Nazi leader's work on display at local gallery funded by Education Ministry
Merav Yudilovitch
Prints of six paintings by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler when he was young are displayed in the Pyramid gallery in Haifa, and have stirred a rather predictable row.
The prints, created jointly by artists Josien Vanunu and Dov Or-Ner, are displayed as part of an exhibit of 14 young artists on a subject headlined "issue of disagreement," as first reported by radio station Reshet Bet.
"The idea of disagreement and the discussions that have revolved around it have been part of our region for years", said the exhibit curator Yaakov Hefetz, who is well aware of the controversy.
"The fact is the exhibit caused provocation by disagreement. This disagreement brought in the media, which serves the exhibit unknowingly. We're not talking about ideology, ethics or lack thereof, but rather about ignorance, disruption, and re-building of myths when the truth is very evasive," he said. "The arguments presented in the different artworks in the exhibit are esthetical and political".
Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav who visited the exhibit on Monday says he strongly opposes the display of Hitler's paintings.
"I think this is bad taste in its extreme form" he said. "No gallery should display these kitschy pictures and there is no explanation that could remedy this."
"The mere display of these pictures, showing pastoral images of flowers, which were created by someone who was and still is the biggest murderous monster in the history of humanity, cheapens the Holocaust," Yahav said.
The mayor also addressed the fact one of the artwork creators is himself a Holocaust survivor.
"The survivors have the obligation to disseminate the message of Holocaust atrocities and under no circumstances open a window to portray the human side of the murderers, namely Hitler," Yahav said. "Hitler's paintings should be forbidden in public displays. He must remain in our collective memory as an exterminator of people. Freedom of speech is irrelevant here, there are issues beyond it. Freedom of speech is not without limit and when it comes to the Holocaust, we must be extra careful".
'People are free to choose'
Artist Or-Ner, however, dismissed Yahav's position.
"In art, there is no issue one can't touch. I'm a child of the Holocaust and ethically I have no problem using Hitler's image or his picture," Or-Ner said. "I'm allowed. The idea was not to create a provocation but rather, facing the subject. At the end of the day, every child can find Hitler's paintings on the Internet."
"People are free to choose whether they are exposed (to the paintings) and I believe that the public is mature enough to decide"," the artist said.
The Pyramid gallery is considered one of the leading galleries in Haifa and is sponsored by the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports, which fully supports the exhibit, in contrary to the mayor's position.
Idit Amichai, director of art and museums at the culture administration said "the Ministry's policy is not to interfere with the artistic conduct of cultural institutions in Israel. The fact of the matter is that Pyramid is an excellent public gallery and is managed very professionally. The paintings displayed there are the choice of two leading Israeli artists."
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