“Into the Light: The Healing Art of Kalman Aron” is at Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust now through Oct. 4, and explores the artist’s portraits of adults and children in all media in the United States, England and the European Continent.

Born in Riga, Latvia in 1924, Aron began drawing as a young child and had his first gallery show at age seven. By age 13, Aron was commissioned to paint the official portrait of the Latvian President.

Aron’s life changed in 1941 when the Germans invaded Latvia, killing his parents. Aron was moved to the Riga ghetto and later to a series of concentration camps, including Buchenwald and Theresienstadt. Aron occasionally drew portraits of concentration camp guards in exchange for food..

He emigrated to America, settling in Los Angeles in 1949. Aron began his career in Los Angeles painting pastels of children and later became known for his portraits, vibrant landscapes and intriguing studies of people in his unique style, “psychological realism.”

For more information about the exhibit, visit www.lamoth.com or call (323)651-3704.