Fall 2007 Exhibit: The Rescuers
Artist’s Statement
Where Greatness is Hidden
Marie-Rose Gineste
Honored throughout the world for her courage during the Holocaust and the subject of a French television documentary, Madame Gineste has been interviewed many times and is wary of journalists – “they put words in my mouth.” Despite her physical slightness and her retiring nature, she has lived in the same house for over sixty years. She is an adventurer whose world extends well beyond Montauban, a small town an hour’s drive west from Toulouse. Her home reflects her universal interests with photographs of her mother and friends of all ages from all over the world. A simple cross of twigs is flanked by two Israeli Menorahs and books about religion and the Holocaust dominate the room. Flowers from her garden brighten the sitting room which also serves as her office. Her wartime bicycle, which she still rides around town, is in the main hallway.