Presentation and self-presentation of the czechoslovak and german visual artists in exile in Great Britain during the second world war
Abstract
The author of the study focuses on an analysis of the group of the German and Czechoslovak visual artists in exile in Great Britain during 1933 and 1945. She tries to see how the given artists coped with their new roles assigned to them by the environment they lived in or which they chose themselves.
These artists confronted with refugee status soon realised their difficult situation they had to face. Despite their unfavourable destiny, they attempted to win recognition in the new environment and benefit from the existing conditions.
Arising from the necessity of the given situation, communication mechanisms and strategies to which the artists had been accustomed on the continent had to be deliberately modified according to their needs. For these purposes a large number of organisations, clubs and associations for refugees gave the artists in exile a helping hand toward their integration into British society and with their presentation.
These entities helped the threatened artists to obtain all necessary documents for embarking on the British land. They also offered them the possibility of continuing to express their art and present their works to the public in Great Britain.
The organisation of group exhibitions of these artists-in-exile was among the most important features of their representation in Britain. Despite of the initial failure, these exhibitions mostly received positive reviews from critics.
The compulsory isolation of the refugees on the Isle of Man in 1940 brought unexpected benefits to them. It was there that the artists renewed the contacts which had been lost during their transportations from their homeland.
Thanks to these contacts they were able to restore communications network which later expanded to a considerable extent.