Mindy Weisel

Weisel’s upbringing as the only daughter of Auschwitz survivors has formed the backdrop for her lifelong quest, as an artist and author, of finding hope and light in the face of darkness. In her books, as well as her numerous exhibitions, she expresses her faith in the survival of beauty and the transformative power of art. Speaking from the heart, she is an articulate and moving speaker who inspires audiences to contemplate their own feelings and history – encouraging a fuller, deeper more creative life.

Weisel was the first baby born in the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons Camp after WWII. In her most recent book Daughters of Absence: Transforming a Legacy of Loss, Weisel’s book is a collaboration with ten women from a variety of fields, including politics, film, music and literature, who, like her, are only daughters to Holocaust survivors. The book is an examination of how these women have created beauty as a reaction to the tragic legacy they inherited.

Touching Quiet: Reflections in Solitude, published in 2000, is an intimate journal of the creative process during Weisel’s painting fellowship at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. During this time, her powerful abstract paintings, as well as her journal writings, examined the impact that quiet, solitude and beauty can have in our lives. The book is inspiring to anyone seeking a greater measure of balance, harmony and creativity.

In Weisel’s forthcoming book, The 7 Day Color Diet: The New Way to Health and Beauty, is a color-controlled eating program that she designed, including the most current information supplied by the National Cancer Institute on optimum health.

Weisel has the gift, in her art, writing and speaking to inspire and encourage others to live fully and deeply. Whether she is speaking about the Holocaust, painting, health or life itself, it is always with the belief that life is worth fighting for.

Weisel’s art hangs in major collections around the world, including the Smithsonian, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the National Museum of American Art, Yale University, the Israel Museum and the United States Capitol. She is also an active participant in the U.S. State Department’s “Art in Embassies” program. With artwork featured in over 22 one-person exhibitions, Weisel’s work has been reviewed in many publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and ART News. Her paintings grace the covers of books from authors such as Primo Levi, and she is the recipient of many awards and honors. She lives in Washington, D.C.