Portrait of Margaret Montgomery

Margaret Montgomery (aunt of the donor) was born in Londonderry but lived in Kirkcudbright with her sister (Aileen) then, in later life, on her own at Castle Gardens. She married a clergyman and lived for while in South Africa and Canada, but the most poignant part of her life was as a Red Cross nurse. In this capacity she was one of the first people to enter the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen shortly after its liberation in April 1945. Margaret worked at the camp for 18 months, and during that time this portrait was painted. The artist was a 30 year old woman, Piri Hevizi, who was listed as having been liberated from Bergen-Belson in 1945. Little else is known of her. According to the donor, the painted canvas was stretched by one of the soldiers on site and later framed in Kirkcudbright. It has remained in the family ever since. In January this year the family came from Northern Ireland to donate this emotionally powerful work to The Stewartry Museum

Piri Hevizi (artist)

STEWM:2020.02.02