Summary
An exhibition at the Wiener Holocaust Library will explore the life and work of Fred Kormis, a German-Jewish artist who created the UK’s first Holocaust memorial. Kormis’s experiences as a refugee and his contributions to art highlight the importance of remembrance and the challenges faced by displaced individuals.
An upcoming exhibition will highlight the work of Fred Kormis, a lesser-known German-Jewish artist responsible for creating the UK’s first Holocaust memorial. Kormis, who escaped Germany in the 1930s, played a significant role in both Weimar culture and British art but has largely been forgotten. His experiences included being a prisoner of war in Siberia during WWI and fleeing Nazism. Dr Barbara Warnock from the Wiener Holocaust Library notes that Kormis’s story reflects the disruptions faced by refugees and the impact of historical events on individuals’ lives. Born into a Jewish family in Frankfurt in 1894, Kormis served in the Austrian army before being detained. In Weimar Germany, his popularity rose until Nazi persecution forced him to leave for the UK in 1934. Despite hardships, including near internment as an “enemy alien” and loss of his studio in the Blitz, Kormis memorialised captivity through his art, culminating in the memorial dedicated to prisoners of war and concentration camp victims located in Gladstone Park, London. The exhibition titled “Fred Kormis: Sculpting the Twentieth Century” runs until 6 February next year at the Wiener Holocaust Library, showcasing artefacts and artworks from UK collections. At the opening event, Germany’s deputy UK ambassador, Karl-Matthias Klause, emphasised the importance of art in remembering the past.
Fred Kormis was a prominent yet overlooked artist, and his experiences as a refugee have drawn renewed interest. His contributions span significant cultural periods, yet his identity and work remain largely unrecognised in British art history. The exhibition seeks not only to commemorate Kormis’s life but also to address themes of antisemitism and the complexities of refugee experiences in a modern context, especially with the ongoing relevance of these issues today.
The exhibition shines a well-deserved spotlight on Fred Kormis, highlighting his artistic contributions and personal history as a refugee. It serves as a reminder of the resilience of individuals affected by conflict and the importance of cultural memory, particularly in relation to the Holocaust. Through Kormis’s story, the exhibition connects past injustices with contemporary discussions about refugees and identity.
Original Source: www.theguardian.com