Siegfried Charoux RA
(1896–1967)
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Siegfried Charoux RA (1896–1967) was a renowned Austrian and British sculptor, painter and caricaturist.
Following the rise of Nazism, Charoux fled Austria in 1935 due to growing hostility towards his left-wing political views and his Jewish wife Margarethe. Settling in England, Charoux was interned on the Isle of Man in 1940 as a so-called ‘enemy alien,’ while being listed for execution on Hitler’s Black Book.
Charoux was released from internment with the intervention of Lord Astor and he continued a successful sculpting career. A British citizen since 1946, he became an Associate of the Royal Academy (ARA) in 1949 and a full member (RA) in 1956. He was a lecturer at the RA Sculpture School and received numerous public commissions in Great Britain and Austria.
In 1951, he produced one of the most well-known Festival of Britain sculptures: an extraordinary monumental piece called The Islanders which was displayed on the South Bank. His sculpture Judge (1962) was installed in the Queen’s Court at the Royal Courts of Justice, where it remains to date.
After Charoux’s passing, his wife Margarethe was instrumental in relocating the contents of Charoux’s studio to the Langenzersdorf Museum, Austria where the Charoux Museum was opened in 1982.
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This collection originally belonged to the art collectors and patrons Francis and Tina Cooke.
Tina befriended Charoux during WW2 while she was interned with her two year old son on the Isle of Man. Like Charoux, she was considered an ‘enemy alien.’
Following their release, the couple purchased a number of pieces by Charoux including the two early sculptures presented below, which they kept their whole life, subsequently passing through three generations.
Cal Smith Gallery presents five exceptional pieces by Siegfried Charoux, as part of a wider collection of works by Émigré Artists.
Sculptures
Title Unknown (Lovers), 1936
An exceptional early bronze made by Charoux shortly after his arrival in the UK.
This piece sits in distinct continuation with the works Charoux produced in Vienna before his exile, which were concerned with Viennese Secessionism. Another piece, ‘Pair’ which was made just a year earlier similarly and consciously echoes Gustav Klimt’s ‘The Kiss.’
The figures’ unique proportions present a shift from previous classical realism and are early examples of Charoux’ distinctive modernist sensibilities.
Bronze
H. 107cm W. 42cm D. 33cm
Signed ‘Charoux London 1936.’
Price on Application
Two Heads, 1936
Strikingly tender larger-than-life heads in lead, produced in London on the same year as Lovers.
Charoux produced other related representations of black men in lead. It is possible that ‘Two Heads’ might have been intended as a distinctly humanising vision of a black or interracial couple, very much in keeping with Charoux’ politics, values and personal life experience. Signed ‘Charoux London 1936.’
Lead
H. 42cm W. 32cm D. 32cm
Signed and dated by the artist
Price on Application
Reclining Figure, c.1940s
An elegant piece reminiscent of Henry Moore’s reclining nudes, yet distinctly in Charoux’s inimitable hand. Signed ‘Charoux’.
Lead
H. 25cm W. 30cm D. 13cm
Price on Application
Sketches
Internment Camp, 1940
A historically important sketch made by Charoux during his internment on the Isle of Man as an ‘enemy alien’. This followed Churchill’s decision in May 1940 to “collar the lot” which resulted in the internment of 30.000 mostly German and Austrian refugees who had fled Nazism.
Many political and Jewish artists found themselves on the Isle of Man, and creativity flourished with exhibitions in the camp. One can but imagine the significance of this sketch to Tina Cooke, who met Siegfried Charoux while they were both interned in the camp.
Ink on paper
Titled, signed and dated to top left
H. 37cm x W. 29cm (excluding frame)
[SOLD]
Nude Sketches, 1942 [ONE SOLD]
Two ink on paper study sketches of female figures, perhaps preparatory drawings for sculptures. Signed and dated, and displayed in their original limed oak frames with acid-free mounts. Charoux clearly intended for these sketches to be displayed, as indicated by the prominent signature and date as well as framing suggestions hidden under the mounts.
H. 42cm x W. 27cm (excluding frame)
Price on Application
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