David Brainin 

Born August 20, 1905 in Kharkov, Ukraine; died 1942 in Auschwitz-Birkenau

Background
Brainin was born to a Jewish tailor and in 1919 at the age of 14 immigrated to Palestine.  Five years later, he moved to Paris, where he studied painting and choreography and earned his living as a dancer.  He joined a Russian dance troupe, marrying one of the dancers and appeared at the Russian Opera and the Casino de Paris. 1931, he and his wife went on a performance tour, including venues in Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.  On his return to Paris, Brained began studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, and then worked as a film scenery designer.

Internment and Art Produced at Compičgne and Drancy
During the Second World War, he was interned at Compičgne and Drancy.  At these camps, Brainin continued his artistic activities.  He painted scenes of camp life, works that now belong to the Ghetto Fighters' House art collection.

Deportation to Auschwitz-Birkenau
From Drancy, he was deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he died in 1942.

Bibliography:
Fenster, Hirsh.  Undzere Farpainikte Kinstler (Nos artistes martyrs).  Paris, 1951.

Novitch, Miriam, Lucy S. Dawidowicz, and Tom L. Freudenheim.  Spiritual Resistance: Art from Concentration Camps, 1940-1945.  Philadelphia, 1981.

Fredj, Jacques.  L'internement des juifs sous Vichy.  Paris, 1996.