ModernistSanctuary:Hampsteadinthe1930sand1940s

MonicaBohm-Duchen

JohnCooper’s mosaiconthef loorof theWharriecabbies’ shelter, RosslynHi l l , 1935,Hampstead,

London.

Astheabundanceofwallplaquesintheareatestifies,visualartistshavebeendrawntothephysicalandcultural

attractionsofHampstead1sincethelateeighteenthcentury.Itwasinthe1930sandearly1940s,however,thatthis

areaofnorth-westLondonoccupiedauniqueplaceinthestoryofBritishartandarchitecture–due,inlargemeasure,

tothenumberoftalentedémigrésfromNazi-dominatedEuropewhofoundrefugethere,andtheBritishindividuals

whowelcomed,supportedandworkedalongsidethem.AsFionaMacCarthyobservedin1984,‘Itsometimesseems

thateveryoneonehadeverheardofgravitatedtowardsHampstead’,adding,‘Hampsteadhasbecomeakindof

buzzwordforthethirties’.2Yet,althoughthefactisfrequentlymentionedinpassing,todatetoolittledetailed

attentionhasbeenpaidtothisrichlyrewardingtopicofculturalenquiry.3

By1940,therewereapproximately14,000(mostlyJewish)refugeeslivingintheHampsteadarea.‘WhatLouis

MacNeicecalled...[their]“gutturalsorrow”...pervadedthedistrict–peopleasnoticeablefortheirlooksasany

otherimmigrantgroup,andoftensimilarlywelcome’.4AndinNormanRosenthal’swords,‘ThereisawholeProustian

biographytobewrittenaboutthatlostworldthatstretchedfromSwissCottagetotheHeathandthatincludedthe

likes,ofcourse,ofSigmundFreudandEliasCanettiandmanyotherswhowouldcongregateincafessuchasthe

CosmotorelivethespiritoftheirlostCentralEuropeanworlds’.5

Thesmallbutgraceful,semi-detachedRegencyvillaat47DownshireHillNW3,purchasedbyFredandDiana

Uhlmaninlate1938,isasgoodaplaceasanytostarttogiveasenseofthearea’srichculturalhistory.Thefirstartist

tolivetherewasItalian-bornGaetanoMeo,acolourfulcharacterwhoearnedhislivingfirstasamodelforthePre-

Raphaelitecircle,andlaterasamosaicistofsomeaccomplishment.6When,duringtheFirstWorldWar,theCarline

familymovedintoNo.47,itsoonbecameameetingplaceforlike-mindedartists.RichardCarline,thekeyplayer,

wholivedinthehouseuntil1936(whenhemovedaroundthecornerto17PondStreet),laterrecalledthat

Myartistfamily–Georgemyfather,Sydney,Hildaandmyself,occupied47DownshireHill...andtheformerchurch

schoolopposite[at14A]provideduswithtwolargestudios.Withsuchamplespacewewereabletoentertainlarge

gatheringsofourartistfriends.BesidesLambandGertler,therewerethetwoSpencers,StanleyandGilbert,who

livedwithusforawhile,Ginner,EthelbertWhiteandNevinson,whoalllivedinHampstead,Macnamara,Dorothy

Brettandothers.7

His1924–5canvas,GatheringontheTerraceat47DownshireHill(nowattheFerensArtGallery,Hull),vividly

corroboratessuchverbalaccounts.

InHampstead,aselsewhere,the1930ssawadramaticseachange.ToquoteCarlineagain,

Inthethirtiestheatmospherehadcompletelychanged.Thesenseofdetachmentwithconstantaestheticdiscussions,

whichweretypicalofthetwenties,wastobeoverwhelmedbynewtheoriesandmovementsduringthenextdecade.

Artistsweretobecaughtupinthepoliticalandsocialuncertainties,withthreatstolibertyandtheshadowofwar,

fromwhichtheycouldnotremainaloof.8

AndasMacCarthyhasobserved,theIsobarattheLawnRoadFlats,animportantsocialhub,‘initsearlyyearshada

uniquequality,inseparablyrelatedtothattimeandplaceandpurpose.Anatmosphereofseriousintention...and

atthesametimeakindofqualityofcraziness,asenseofdislocation,brokenaccents,brokenmarriages.An

irresponsibilityengenderedbythenumberofarrivalsanddepartures,setagainstabackgroundofpolitical

uncertainty.’9

TheSpanishCivilWarof1936–9wasseenbymanytheworldoverasthetestinggroundforaglobalconflict

betweenfascismanddemocracy,and‘HampsteadManandHampsteadWoman,leftish,argumentative,alarmingly

progressive’10werenoexception.InthewordsofEdwardCarter,it‘hunglikeaburningdestructivesunoverall

politicalfeelingandwokeusagaintoawarenessoftheagonyandsufferingofwar...Hampstead...

characteristicallyglowedwithpartisanshipandeveryvarietyofpossibleandnearimpossibleactivityonbehalfofthe

Republicans’.11AletterfromEnglishInternationalBrigadevolunteersGeorgeandNanGreen,writtenin1938,speaks

volumes:‘Motherdear,we’renotmilitarists,noradventurersnorprofessionalsoldiers...toholdthelinehereand

nowmeansthatwecanpreventthisbattlebeingfoughtagainlateronHampsteadHeathorthehillsofDerbyshire’.12

AndaspoetLouisMacNeice,aHampsteadresident,observedinhis1939AutumnJournal,inSpain‘ourbluntideals

wouldfindtheirwhetstone’.13

AsAntonyPenrose’saccountofhisfather’sactivities14makesclear,RolandPenrosewasakeyfigurein

galvanisinglike-mindedartistsintoexpressingtheirsupportfortheSpanishRepublicancause,andintocriticisingthe

BritishGovernmentforsittingonthepoliticalfence.Evenapparentlyapolitical,artisticallyunalignedfiguressuchas

HenryMooreaddedtheirnamestothe1936SurrealistmanifestoprotestingagainstBritishnon-intervention.In

1938,MooredesignedanotherBritishSurrealistbroadsheetonasimilartheme,andin1939producedhisfirst

lithograph,calledSpanishPrisoner,intendedtoraisemoneyfortheRepublicancause.15BarbaraHepworthtoodid

herbit,byproducingawoodenmaquetteforanunrealised,abstractMonumenttotheSpanishCivilWar(1938–9),

whichwasdestroyedduringtheSecondWorldWar.

AlthoughfarlessnumerousthantheonlyslightlylaterinfluxofrefugeesfromNaziEurope,Spanishrefugeesalso

foundtheirwaytoHampstead–amongthemartistandRepublicanpoliticianFrancescGalí,who,yearsearlier,had

taughtJoanMiróinBarcelonaandwhoinitiallylivedatthehomeofarthistorianandgalleristEwanPhillips.16Wilfred

Roberts,brotherofWinifredNicholson(Ben’sfirstwife),LiberalMPforNorthCumberland(1935–50)andaleading

figureintheBasqueChildren’sCommittee,theNationalJointCommitteeforSpanishReliefandotherreliefbodies–

andthuspopularlyknownasthe‘MPforSpain’–livedinKeatsGroveduringthisperiod.

Penroselaterrecalled,

WhenIreturnedtoLondonin1935,havingspentsomethirteenyearsinFrance,IfoundinHampsteadaclimate

whichhadsomeslightresemblancetothatwhichIhadleftinParis...Havingbeenawayforsolong,Ihadlost

contactwithmyowngenerationinEngland,andifithadnotbeenforthecolonyofartiststhatIdiscoveredaround

mewhenIsettledinDownshireHill,itcouldhavetakenmealongtimetofindmyfeetagaininmynativetown.17

AsCarlineobserved,‘ItwastothewestofHampsteadinFitzjohn’sAvenuethatfashionableandprosperousartists

[suchasPhilipdeLászló18]settledinthelateVictorianandEdwardianera.OldHampsteadwasadilapidated

neighbourhood...TheyoungerandprogressiveartiststookafancytooldHampstead...’19

BySeptember1938,when–undertheshadowoftheMunichAgreement–FredandDianaUhlmanmovedinto

theirhouse,the‘progressive’artisticpresenceinDownshireHillanditsenvironswaswellestablished,andthearea

wasnolongerquitesodilapidated.PenrosehadmovedintoNo.21inearly1936(tobejoinedinmid-1939byLee

Miller);intherun-uptoandduringthewaryears,Belgian-bornE.L.T.Mesens,Penrose’scompanion-at-armsand

directoroftheradicalifshort-livedLondonGallery,wouldalsolivethere.Avant-gardeartpatronandcollector

MargaretGardiner,herselfpartlyofEuropean-Jewishdescent,andherpartner,pioneeringcrystallographerand

ardentCommunist,JohnDesmondBernal,livedalmostoppositePenroseatNo.35.20Amongherotheranti-fascist

activities,GardinerwasHonorarySecretaryofanon-partypoliticalorganisationcalledForIntellectualLiberty,

foundedinearly1936andactiveuntil1940,intendedas‘arallyingpointforthoseintellectualworkerswhofeltthat

theconditionoftheworldcalledfortheactivedefenceofpeace,liberty,andculture’.21ItisevidentthatGardiner,

PenroseandtheUhlmanswereattheveryheartofanetworkofindividualsintentonlendingpracticalandmoral

supporttorefugeeartists.22

Theywerenottheonlyones,however.OtherHampsteadresidentsshouldalsoreceivetheirdueinthisrespect–

amongthem,sculptorandeducationalistBettyRea,whowasSecretaryoftheArtists’InternationalAssociation

between1934and1936,andlivedatthePennStudios,13aRudallCrescent.Thelatterwasalsooneofthe

HampsteadresidencesofMarkGertler.Althoughthesonofadifferentimmigrantgeneration,havingmovedto

HampsteadfromtheEastEndofLondonin1915,thefactthathewasoneofthesignatoriesofalettersentto

potentialbenefactorsbytheArtists’RefugeeCommittee(ARC)inlate1938,suggeststhathetoowishedtoplaya

partinhelpingthenewwaveofimmigrants.

MuirheadandhissonStephenBone,bothleadinglightsintheARC,werealsobasedinHampstead,aswasMarie

SturgeMoore(wifeofwriterandartistThomasSturgeMoore),whoapparentlytookresponsibilityforensuringthat

theartistswereadequatelyfed.ActorWalterHudd(usuallycastinsupportingandcharacterroles,initiallyaspartof

thestableofactorsassociatedwithHungarianémigréAlexanderKorda’sLondonFilms23)playedhost,itseems,to

Hans(Johannes)Schellenberger,founder-memberoftheFreeGermanLeagueofCulture(FGLC).Mentionshould

alsobemadeofCanadian-borndesignerAustinCooper,directorofthepioneeringReimannSchool,wholivedat34

DownshireHill,24andofRichardCarline(again)andart-worldeminenceKennethClark,wholivedinasuitably

patricianvillacalled‘CapodiMonte’inWindmillHill,nearWhitestonePond–allofwhomweresignatoriesofthe

aforementionedARCletter.25

Thepresenceof(inHerbertRead’smemorablephrase)a‘nestofgentleartists’26–BarbaraHepworth,Ben

Nicholson,HenryMooreetalia–ashort-ishwalkfromDownshireHillattheMallStudiosinTaskerRoad,27aswellas

thatofPaulNashinnearbyEldonGrove,hadnodoubtactedasanincentiveforPenrosetomovetothearea.

AsAnnelyJudaputit,

Thesewerethedifficultyearsleadinguptothewar.InapartofLondon,Hampstead,therewasagroupofgreat

artistslivingneartoeachotherincludingGabo,Hepworth,Moholy-Nagy,Mondrian,MooreandNicholson.Atthe

timetheyproducedtheirartquietlyandmodestlybutnowwerecognizethattheirabstractworkswereamongthe

mostradicalbeingmadeinBritain.28

ThroughtheinterventionofWinifredandBenNicholsonaswellasNaumGabo,PietMondrianlivedastone’sthrow

awayfromtheMallStudiosat60ParkhillRoadbetween1938and1940(before–likeWalterGropius,MarcelBreuer

andLászlóMoholy-Nagy–movingontotheUSA).Gabohimselflivedforawhileatnearby11LawnRoad,closeto

theIsokonBuilding,which,thankstoJackandMollyPritchard,providedatemporaryabodefortheseBauhaus

luminaries.ModernistarchitectErnöGoldfingerbuiltahouseforhimselfin1939atnearby2WillowRoad,which

duringthewarnotonlyplayedhosttoartclassesfortraumatisedchildrenbutin1942wasthevenuefora

fundraisingexhibitionorganisedinassociationwiththeAidtoRussiaFundoftheNationalCouncilofLabour.29Rarely

noticedorcommentedon,thefloorofahumblerefreshmentkioskonRosslynHill–the‘WharrieCabmen’sShelter’

of1935,sportingacolourfulabstractmosaiccreatedbyartistJohnCooperandhisstudents30–bearsunusual

witnesstothisbrieffloweringofthegeometricavant-gardeinHampstead.

Notes

1. Strictlyspeaking,theareainwhichtheémigréscongregatedalsoembracesBelsizePark(like

Hampsteadvillage,partofLondonNW3)andWestHampstead(NW6)–and,toalesserextent,

StJohn’sWood(NW8)andGoldersGreen(NW11).

2. FionaMacCarthy,IntroductiontoJackPritchard,ViewfromaLongChair,Routledge&KeganPaul,

London,1984,pp22and9.

3. MichaelBird’sbook,TheStIvesArtists:ABiographyofPlaceandTime,LundHumphries,London,2008,

forexample,includesachapterentitled‘ConnectingCircles:ADetourviaHampstead’,inwhich

HampsteadisseenaslittlemorethanastopoverenroutetoCornwall.

4. JeremyAdler,IntroductiontoEliasCanetti,PartyintheBlitz:TheEnglishYears(transl.Michael

Hofmann),HarvillPress,London,2005.

5. NormanRosenthal,IntroductiontoNicolaBaird(ed.),FredUhlman,BurghHouseandHampstead

Museum,London,2018,p.7.

6. Meoappearstohavetakenupresidenceinthe1880s,introducedtotheareaeitherbyDante

GabrielRossetti,whohadearlierlivedinthestreet,orbyFordMadoxBrown,whohadlodgedin

Hampsteadwhileworkingonhisiconiccanvas,Work,of1852–63.

7. RichardCarline,‘DownshireHillandtheHampsteadGatherings’,inK.JacobsonandC.Wade,

StanleySpencer:AHampsteadVision,HampsteadMuseum,London,1991(unpaginated).

8. RichardCarline, ‘RichardCarline andhisCircle’, inHampstead in theThirties:ACommittedDecade,

exh.cat.,CamdenArtsCentre,London,1974,p.8.

9. MacCarthy,Insiders/Outsiders,LundHumphries,London,2019,Introduction,p.22.

10. ibid.,p.9.

11. EdwardCarter,‘TheSocial/ArchitecturalBackground’,inHampsteadintheThirties,p.27.

12. Quoted in Paul Preston,The Spanish CivilWar: DreamsandNightmares, exh.cat, ImperialWar

Museum,London,2001,p.27.

13. LouisMacNeice,AutumnJournal,Faber&Faber,London,1939.

14. AntonyPenrose,Insiders/Outsiders,LundHumphries,London,2019,chapter16.

15. Bythetimethelithographwasready,however,Francohadwonthewar.

16. Seewww.ithellcolquhoun.co.uk/i_palpitates_with_joy.htm.

17. RolandPenrose,‘HampsteadandSurrealismintheThirties’,inHampsteadintheThirties,p.37.

18. Ironically,Hungarian-bornsocietyportraitistdeLászlóhadbeencommissionedintheinterwar

periodtopaintDianaUhlman’sparents,theFirstLordCroftandTheHon.NancyBeatriceBorwick,

LadyCroft.

19. Carline,‘RichardCarlineandhisCircle’,p.8.

20. Gardiner’sfinecollectionofworksbytheartistswhomshesupportedlongbeforetheybecame

famous–notably,HepworthandBenNicholson–formthebasisofthepermanentcollectionofthe

PierArtCentre,Stromness,Orkney.

21. ‘Bulletinno.1’ofForIntellectualLiberty.TheorganisationwasformedinFebruary1936followinga

conferenceinPariscalledbythe‘ComitédeVigilancedesIntellectuelsAntifascistes’.Membersheld

meetings,wrotetothepressandlobbiedtheirMPs.Inthelate1930s,theywerealsoinvolvedin

schemesofpracticalassistanceforrefugees.OthermembersincludedVirginiaWoolfandAldous

Huxley.Seewww.nature.com/articles/139188c0.pdf.

22. Beyondtheartworld,financierOttoSchiffnotonlyhelpedthousandsofJewsto

escapeNaziEuropebutalsoopeneduphishomeinNetherhallGardensasaplace

ofrefuge.ÉmigréactorAntonWalbrook,wholivedat69Frognal,didmuchtohelp

refugeeslessfortunatethanhimself,whileRegentsParkboardingschoolat5

MaresfieldGardenswassetupspecificallytocatertotheneedsofchildrefugees.At

No.20MaresfieldGardens,AnnaFreudandhercolleaguessetuptheHampstead

WarNurseriestotakecareofandobservetraumatisedchildren.

23. AlexanderKordalivedinAvenueRoad,NW8,whilehislessextravagantand

ostentatiousartistbrother,Vincent,livedinWellWalk.Itwasherethatheworked

onthedesignsforthescience-fictionfilmThingstoCome(1936),towhichLászló

Moholy-Nagyalsocontributed.

24. AlsoworthamentionhereisthediscreetlyModernisthouseat13DownshireHill

designedinthemid-1930sbyMichaelandCharlotteBunney.Hampstead’swealthof

ModernistarchitectureistouchedoninAlanPowers’essayinInsiders/Outsiders,

LundHumphries,London,2019,chapter2.

25. Clark’ssecretarywashalf-GermanHelenRoeder(partnerofCarelWeight),whowas

alsosecretaryoftheArtists’RefugeeCommittee.

CorrespondenceintheTateArchiverevealsthatshewrotetohimtoenlisthissupport

fortheARC(TGA8812/1/4/152/5).

26. HerbertRead.‘ANestofGentleArtists’,Apollo,vol.LXXVI,no.7,September1962,pp536–

40,reprintedinBenedictReadandDavidThistlewood(eds),HerbertRead:ABritishVision

ofWorldArt,LundHumphries,London,1993,pp59–63.

27. TheMallStudioshadbeenbuiltin1872;earlierresidentsmayhaveincluded

WalterSickert.Inthe1930s,inadditiontoHepworthandNicholsonatNo.7(the

formerhadpreviouslylivedattheStudioswithherfirsthusbandJohnSkeaping),

CecilStephensonlivedatNo.6andHerbertReadatNo.3.Moorelivedatnearby11a

ParkhillRoadandArthurJackson,Hepworth’scousin,atNo.22ParkhillRoad.

28. AnnelyJuda,Foreword,TheThirties:InfluencesonAbstractArtinBritain,exh.cat.,Annely

JudaFineArt,London,1998.

29. GoldfingerwasalsocloselyinvolvedwiththeArtistsAidRussiaexhibitionheldatthe

WallaceCollectioninJuly/August1942.

30. ThestudentsmayhavebelongedtotheEastLondonGroupofnon-professional,

working-classartists.Moreresearch,however,needstobedoneintothisunusual

project.