On World Refugee Day – 20 June - it’s worth remembering that the word “refugee” was coined to describe the Huguenots in their flight from religious persecution in France.
The countries to which they fled offered them refuge and thus they became, in their own language, “réfugiés”. This term was absorbed into the English language as “refugees”.
Tirr, Willy; Flight III; Ben Uri Collection; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/flight-iii-302331
For more information about this refugee artist, see Art UK here::
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/flight-iii-302331/view_as/grid/search/keyword:refugee/page/11
Thanks for this Jo. I always enjoy your blogs and interested to learn the origins of the word “refugee”.
Thanks, Krissy, I really appreciate your feedback! The Huguenots are a great example of what a country gains from migration. Some Huguenots arrived with money, but many were destitute and desperate. And of course they frequently crossed the Channel in small, rickety boats.
What a beautiful – and mournful – painting, with its echoes of wars past, and present. It sent me immediately off to the website to find out more. I’ve been following Ben Uri Gallery on Instagram for a while, but I hadn’t seen this before. Thank you, Jo.
You are welcome – it’s one of the great joys of publishing this blog. I am indebted to ArtUK as a source: https://artuk.org/ A treasure trove!