Self Portrait with Jewish Identity Card | Felix Nussbaum | 1943

Felix Nussbaum’s "Self-Portrait with Jewish Identity Card" (1943) is a chilling reflection on the dehumanizing effects of the Nazi regime and a deeply personal testament to the artist's struggle for survival. Painted during a time when Jews were forced to carry identity cards that marked them for persecution, Nussbaum confronts the viewer with a penetrating gaze, holding the card prominently as a symbol of his imposed identity and vulnerability. His expression is solemn and filled with resignation, while the dark, oppressive background reinforces the isolation and fear that engulfed him. The detailed rendering of his face, gaunt and weary, speaks to the psychological and physical toll of living in hiding, while the card itself, marked with the word "Jude," is a stark reminder of the racial laws that dictated life and death during the Holocaust. The painting not only serves as an autobiographical record of Nussbaum's harrowing circumstances but also as a universal cry against the brutality of intolerance and genocide.