Fresco Fiasco: Narratives of National Identity and the Bruno Schulz Murals of Drogobych

Abstract

In May 2001, Yad Vashem's removal of portions of a recently unearthed mural painted during World War II by creative artist Bruno Schulz was enormously controversial, not only because of the questionable circumstances in which they were taken, but also because several parties had a legitimate claim to them. This article examines the dispute over the Schulz murals, illustrating how competing narratives of national identity—Polish, Jewish, and Ukranian—have infused the debate with particular intensity. Claims to the murals have been advanced largely on the basis of moral rights, which are grounded—explicitly or implicitly—in each nation's experience of collective suffering and victimhood. While not an exhaustive discussion of all the national dimensions of the debate, it is a starting point for understanding how the interplay of national identities shapes political claims in general, and underpins specifically the debate over the Schulz murals.