Auschwitz

Robert Jan van Pelt is chief curator of the exhibition Auschwitz: Not Long Ago. Not Far Away. Van Pelt, professor of cultural history in the School of Architecture at the University of Waterloo, is known internationally as one of the leading authorities on the history and architecture of the Auschwitz concentration camp. In 1997–98, he presided over the team that developed the master plan to preserve the camp, and in 2000 he served as expert witness for the defense in the famous libel case instigated by the British historian and Holocaust denier David Irving. Born in Haarlem, Van Pelt has published several books on Auschwitz, including the award-winning Auschwitz: 1270 to the Present (with Debórah Dwork) and The Case for Auschwitz. He co-curated the exhibition The Evidence Room, displayed at the Venice Biennale in 2016.