Vladimir Sagal-Sagalowitz was born in in Vitebsk (Russia) in 1898. Pogroms forced his family to migrate to Switzerland in 1916. He studied art in Germany, moving to France in 1933. When the Second World War broke, Sagal joined the French army, from which he was demobilized after France's defeat. But when Germany declared war on Russia in June 1941, Sagal was interned at Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe near Toulouse. While in this camp he painted portraits of his fellow inmates. In 1943 he managed to escape and reach Switzerland. His works from the period of his internment are included in the art collection of Beit Lohamei Haghetaot (the Ghetto Fighters' House Museum).