A Three Colour Opera: Charlotte Salomon

Charlotte Salomon (© Christian Michelides)

David Swatling explores the extraordinary life and work of Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon (1917-1943). She created 1300 gouaches, or water colours, depicting her life in only 18 months while living in the south of France. A few months later, at 26, she was picked up by the Nazis and sent to Auschwitz where she was killed.

She herself described her work as “A Three Colour Opera” because she only used red, yellow and blue. David’s guests are an art historian from the Jewish Historical Museum, Elise Thoron who wrote and directed a musical play based on Charlotte’s life and composer Gary Fagin.

Producer: David Swatling

Broadcast: July 23, 2002