'It is my old grandad… how amazing' - Dame Margaret Hodge stunned by painting at latest Ben Uri exhibition

The portrait of Wilhelm Hollitscher

“The last thing is she is taken to a camp in Lithuania and she was shot. We’ve got the last letter she wrote to my uncle. It is so poignant. She says twice in it: ‘Don’t forget me completely.’”

Despite being in his 60s and in poor health, Mr Hollitscher was interned in Liverpool as an “enemy alien” shortly after arriving in the UK.

In the Huyton camp, he was painted by the distinguished artist, Hugo Dachinger, a fellow Austrian.

Mr Hollitscher’s diaries revealed that he loved music and politics but was unhappy in the UK. Not speaking the language, he felt isolated and depressed. He died in 1943.

Ben Uri executive chair David Glasser said Dame Magaret’s visit was “extraordinary to be a part of. Just imagine getting to see your grandfather again in that context. She was visibly excited and it was as poignant as it was exciting.

“This is what Ben Uri is all about — enabling connections. We tell the story not only of the artist but of the moment and what was happening in history at that time.”