Gallery Exhibitions
Take a stroll through the Katz Family Main Street Gallery, located along the main corridor of the MJCCA Zaban-Blank Building. Exhibitions regularly change to highlight both local artwork and pieces of art touring from our nationwide network of museum and gallery partners.
Love, Art & Survival: The World of Joseph Bau
Presented by the Morris Family Foundation
Travel support for Clila and Hadasa Bau generously provided in part by El Al Israel Airlines.
Joseph Bau was an artist, counterfeiter, and Mossad agent. Saved by Oskar Schindler, Bau’s hidden access to pen and ink during the Holocaust allowed him to forge documents, saving his life and countless others. This exhibit features more than 40 pieces of Bau’s art, including oil paintings, prints and lithographs, and storyboards.
MEET HADASA AND CLILA BAU, Joseph Bau’s daughters, when they discuss their father’s book, Bau Artist at War, during the 35th Edition of the Book Festival of the MJCCA on Sunday, November 8, 2026, at 1:30 pm. At 10:00 am, there will be a free screening of the Hollywood film about his life, Bau Artist at War.
About the Artist
Joseph Bau was born in Krakow, Poland in 1920. His education was interrupted by World War II when all Jews were interned in concentration camps by the Nazis. Despite the grim circumstances of internment, Bau never lost his spark of humanity and hope. He fell in love with another inmate, Rebecca, whom he married in the camp, defying the prohibition by the Germans. This unique wedding was depicted in Spielberg’s film “Schindler’s List.”
Art became Bau’s lifeline. Utilized as a draftsman and sign writer, he had access to pens and inks, which he used to forge documents and identity papers for people attempting to escape. His actions saved hundreds of lives, although he remained modest and never spoke about his heroism. His story came to light through others. In the camp, Bau also wrote and illustrated a miniature book containing beautiful poems that ignored the horrors surrounding him. He was later transferred to Gross-Rosen and then to Oscar Schindler’s camp, where he remained until the war’s end.
After the war, Bau graduated from the University of Plastic Arts in Krakow. He worked as a graphic artist and illustrator for three newspapers during his studies. In 1950, he immigrated to Israel with his wife and daughter, joining a secret unit of the intelligence corps that utilized his artistic talents for covert operations. Later, he worked for a similar unit under the Prime Minister’s office but never disclosed details of his activities.
In 1960, Bau opened his own studio in Tel-Aviv, where he created numerous art pieces and designed titles for Israeli films. He also authored Hebrew books interspersed with his drawings and pioneered animated films in Israel, earning him the moniker “Israeli Walt Disney.” Bau’s distinct artistic style garnered him exhibitions in Israel, the USA, Canada, Poland, and Spain. Since his death in 2002, his daughters Hadasa and Clila have endeavored to convert his studio into a museum commemorating his Holocaust experiences and creative works. The studio, facing closure, exhibits Bau’s paintings, graphic art, and self-built animation equipment.