University of London Archives | Details | Letters from Willi Soukop to Georg Weys

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TitleLetters from Willi Soukop to Georg Weys

Held atUniversity of London, Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies

Reference codeGWE/5

Date1941-1947, 1968

Creator
- Soukop, Willi (1907-1995), sculptor, refugeeMore Info on CreatorLess Info on Creator
  Willi (Wilhelm Josef) Soukop was born in Vienna in 1907, the son of an Austrian mother and a Moravian (Czech) shoemaker-father, who committed suicide soon after the First World War. To help support the family, Soukop learned to carve umbrella handles and other ivory objects for a local trader. He became very skilled and went on to train at Vienna Academy of Fine Art. In 1934 he was invited to Dartington Hall, Devon, which had become a refuge for many artists escaping Nazi persecution. In 1940 he was interned and, together with Georg Weys and Wolfgang von Einsiedel amongst many others, sent to a Canadian internment camp. On his return to the UK in 1941 he became a teacher at Blundells School, Devon, before moving to London in 1947 where he worked and taught at various art schools. In 1969 Soukop was appointed Master of Sculpture at the Royal Academy school. Soukop was commissioned for many public spaces and his work is in UK collections including the the Tate, Ben Uri Collection and the Royal Academy of Arts.

Scope and ContentWilli Soukop met Georg Weys on the boat transporting internees to Canada in 1940. In the internment camp near Ottawa they shared a tent, together with von Einsiedel, and a fourth man called Nick [?]. They grew close and kept in contact after their release in 1941.

The first letter is dated 9 March 1941, shortly after Soukop arrived back in the UK. He talks about his work as a teacher at Blundells School in Devon as well as efforts to do his own work in his spare time, books and concerts, and visits to London, which were limited by strict travel restrictions for so-called 'enemy aliens'. His concern for the much younger Weys shines through the letters.

People mentioned include: Soukop’s wife Simone Moser, a dancer, who spent the war years in the US, Wolfgang von Einsiedel, John Hampson, writer, and the Wilsons at 'Four Ashes' in Dorridge, and Max Rostal, the violinist who sat for a bust by Soukop, and other refugees.

There are typed transcripts for all letters, transcribed by Georg Weys' daughter

Conditions governing accessOpen. At least 48 hours' notice is required for research visits.

Extent1 folder

Level of descriptionfile

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