The Surinamese Embassy in Washington has marked the 50th anniversary of Suriname’s independence, known as Srefidensi, by spotlighting the work of Surinamese-American artist Jozef Nassy (1904–1976). In collaboration with the Art Museum of the Americas, a unique exhibition showcasing Nassy’s works created during his internment in World War II has been unveiled. The exhibition, open until December 12, is hosted in the Marcus Garvey Hall of the Organization of American States (OAS) headquarters. Nassy, one of the few artists to produce extensive work while imprisoned by the Nazis, captured the daily lives, emotions, and faces of fellow detainees through his portraits and drawings. His works, primarily created in camps in Belgium and Germany, serve as a profound historical record. While 225 of his pieces were donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1992, Nassy’s legacy remains relatively unknown in Suriname. Born in Paramaribo to Creole-Jewish parents, Nassy moved to Brooklyn at 15, studied industrial electrical engineering at Pratt Institute, and later pursued art in Brussels. Arrested in 1942 as an American citizen in occupied territory, he turned his internment into a defining period for his artistry. The exhibition features five of his original works from Suriname, including a recently rediscovered painting from 1946 depicting a lone prisoner in the Laufen camp. The opening ceremony was attended by OAS Secretary-General Albert Ramdin, Surinamese Ambassador Marten Schalkwijk, and Art Museum of the Americas Director Adriana Ospina, who praised Nassy’s technical versatility and ability to portray dignity and hope in adversity.
Ambassade opent bijzondere Nassy-expositie ter ere van 50 jaar Srefidensi
