Walter Nessler: Postwar Optimist
[ Exhibition )
Walter Nessler, Haverstock Hill, c.1938-9, oil on board, Pallant House Gallery (On loan from a Private Collection, 2006)
A significant display of the work of German-born artist Walter Nessler (1912 – 2001), who emigrated to Britain in the 1930s. Though not Jewish, he opposed fascist ideology and was denounced as ‘degenerate’ by the Nazi regime. This exhibition examined the breadth and versatility of Nessler’s artistic practice from his dynamic and foreboding wartime cityscapes to his exuberant post war paintings. These later works were inspired by his passion for jazz, the inspiration of Matisse and his acquaintance with artists including Picasso, Giacometti and Cocteau who he met in Paris during the late 1940s and 50s.
The exhibition was part of Insiders/Outsiders, a nationwide arts festival taking place throughout 2019 to celebrate refugees from Nazi Europe and their contribution to British culture.
Want to know more?
If you’re conducting research into this artist or another aspect of Modern British art and would like to use our library and archive, please contact Sarah Norris, Collections Manager on s.norris@pallant.org.uk.