Elsa Fraenkel facts for kids

Elsa Fraenkel (1892–1975) was a British sculptor who was born in Germany. She grew up in Heidelberg, Germany.

Becoming an Artist

Elsa Fraenkel loved art from a young age. Her family supported her interest. When she was 16, she took drawing lessons in Brussels. She also studied art history at Heidelberg University. Later, she learned drawing and sculpture at Karlsruhe Academy.

In 1918, Elsa married Georg Fraenkel. They moved to Hanover, Germany, and had two children. She lived there until 1933. During this time, Elsa often traveled to Paris. She studied with sculptor Jacques Loutchansky. She also met famous artists like Constantin Brâncuși and Piet Mondrian.

Her Sculpting Career

Elsa Fraenkel mainly sculpted bronze statues of people. She created busts, which are sculptures of a person's head and shoulders. She chose people she met in her daily life who seemed special to her. These were not paid jobs, but her own projects.

Some of her early works included a young American girl (1926) and a musician (1927). She also sculpted a young Chinese person (1928) and an Arabian dancing girl (1929). Another interesting piece was a gypsy boxer (1930). She even sculpted a mathematician who was lecturing.

Elsa showed her art in cities like Hanover, Berlin, and Mannheim. In 1927, the Landesmuseum in Hanover bought her sculpture of a young girl.

Moving to Paris and London

In 1933, Elsa Fraenkel moved to Paris and stayed there until 1935. She was inspired by the portraits of Charles Despiau. She also studied ancient art at the Musée du Louvre. In Paris, she worked with bronze, pewter, and silver. She sculpted professors she met at the Sorbonne.

Because of the difficult political situation in Germany for Jewish people, Elsa moved to England in 1935. She lived in St John's Wood in London, then in Loughton, Essex. She was part of the Essex Art Club and showed her work there. Luckily, she brought copies of many of her sculptures from Germany to England. This is why we can still see her art today. Some of her sculptures, like the young girl and the young Chinese person, are now in the Sprengel Museum in Hanover.

After World War II

Elsa Fraenkel sculpted less during World War II. But after the war, many of her works were shown in London. Her art was displayed in famous places like the Leicester Galleries, Ben Uri Gallery, and the Tate Gallery. Her sculptures also traveled to the Tel Aviv Museum, the Jewish Museum in New York, and the Royal Library in Copenhagen.

In the 1950s, Elsa became friends with Dora Gordine, who was also a sculptor. She also became friends with Sylvia Pankhurst, a famous activist. They even worked on some projects together. Elsa began to get paid jobs to sculpt busts of well-known people.

Her Art Today

Today, most of Elsa Fraenkel's sculptures are owned by her family. Some are in private collections. Here are some of her famous works and where you can find them:

• Young Frenchman - This sculpture is in the permanent collection of the Tate Britain in London.
• Rabbi and Jewish Writer - You can see this at the Ben Uri Gallery and Museum in London.
• St Michael with Angels - This small statue is in the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Scotland.
• Princess Tsahai - This sculpture is in the Royal Palace in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
• Sri Aurobindo - This piece is at the Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India.
• Queen Sirikit - This sculpture is in the Palace of Bangkok, Thailand.
• The Dalai Lama - This is located at the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India.
• Prof. Lazarus Goldschmidt’s portrait - This portrait is in the Royal Library in Copenhagen, Denmark, and the Jewish Museum in New York.

Elsa Fraenkel's work has been studied by art experts. Rachel Dickson, from the Ben Uri Gallery & Museum, wrote about Elsa and another artist named Erna Nonnenmacher. Her paper discussed the challenges these German women artists faced when they moved to Britain.

Memberships and Exhibitions

Elsa Fraenkel was a member of several important art groups:

• She was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
• She was the Vice President of the Essex Art Club.
• She was an Honorary Member of the Council of The Royal Society for India, Pakistan and Ceylon.

Her sculptures were shown in many major exhibitions. Some of her most notable works and where they were displayed include:

• Young American Girl (1923) - Sprengel Museum Hannover, Germany.
• Minna Tobler, Mask of a Musician (1927) - Leicester Galleries, London.
• Ching Sou Cho, Young Chinese architecture student (1928) - Leighton House Museum, London.
• Kadra, Arabian Dancing Girl (1929) - Leicester Galleries, London.
• Trollman, Gypsy Boxer (1930) - Leicester Galleries, London.
• Professor Dr. Conrad Mueller, Mathematician (1932) - Paris Salon and Royal Academy, London.
• Young Frenchman (1934/35) - Tate Gallery, London.
• Very Rev. Haham Dr. M Gaster, Rabbi and Jewish Writer (1946) - Leicester Galleries, London.
• Professor Dr. Lazarus Goldschmidt, Translator of Talmud and Koran (1946) - Jewish Museum in New York.
• Sri Aurobindo, Saint and philosopher (1957) - Kings College Library, Cambridge.
• The Dalai Lama - Leicester Galleries, London.

Later Life and Death

In 1969, Elsa Fraenkel moved to Bangalore, India. She lived there with her daughter. Elsa Fraenkel passed away in Bangalore in 1975.