WWII veteran Gustav Potthoff survived brutal conditions in a Japanese slave labor camp in Thailand, which later inspired him to paint scenes from his dark past to heal.
Lest We Forget: A Survivor’s Story follows the journey of Gustav Pothoff from his birth in Indonesia to hellish conditions as a prisoner of war (POW). Even after the war was over, Pothoff was left haunted by the scarring experience. The veteran soon found painting to be an effective release for these emotions, and created spiritual scenes of POW camp life.
Family, friends, and museum curators all recognize the importance of Pothoff’s work in it’s rich historcal and cultural value.