American artist William Pachner was born in Moravia, Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1915. Trained as an illustrator,Pachner moved to Prague and eventually left Czechoslovakia for the United States in 1939. When World War II broke out, he realized he could not return. The family he left behind was killed by mass murder. Pachner, however, cannot forget the bond with this memory, and has said, “…the connectedness was of lasting and determining importance—abond of intimate and life-giving connection, which intensified with its loss.”
During World War II, Pachner became art director for Esquire. His works included fanciful designs to accompany
national anthems of the Allied Powers, portraits of GI’s recovering from injuries, and cartoons to illustrate some humor in a world of sorrow. Later he illustrated for Collier’s, Cosmopolitan and other national magazines.
Following the war, Pachner abandoned his career as an illustrator to become a studio artist. He moved to Woodstock,New York, established himself as a studio artist and began a career for which he is highly recognized today. In Florida,Pachner is known as one of the founders of the West Coast Art Center and a winter resident of Tampa.
The Florida Holocaust Museum is pleased to present this retrospective of William Pachner’s artwork. There is a special emphasis on his last works, which serve as powerful statements about the world in which we live. |
