iMuseum

Second World War Internment Museum Collections Search of iMuseum

Second World War Internment Museum Collections

Posted on 10.04.2023

At the start of 2023 Manx National Heritage added over 320 records (around half with images) from our Second World War Internment Museum Collections onto our iMuseum. These records all relate to the material culture within the internment camps on the Isle of Man during 1939-1945.

Here’s what Katie King, Curator of Art & Social History at Manx National Heritage, had to say about this significant collection:

“There were many celebrated modern artists interned on the Isle of Man during the Second World War, forced to flee Nazi Germany as the regime suppressed so called ‘degenerate’ art. These artists sought sanctuary in Britain, only to find themselves arrested as potential ‘enemy aliens’ and interned whilst their loyalty was investigated. During their enforced stay on the Isle of Man there was an outpouring of art and creativity. Over the years a large number of these works have been gathered and collected by Manx National Heritage. We now hold an internationally significant collection of artworks created in the internment camps, with many of those artists going on to have high profile careers after the war.

Click the image to view this object on our iMuseum (2002-0141)

Whilst each piece is unique, I do have two favourites. The first is entitled ‘Children’ (2002-0141),  painted on a sheet of newspaper. It shows two children leaning on a barbed wire fence with palm trees in the background. The boy stares accusingly at us, whilst the girl looks down with soulful look. Which side of the wire fence the children are on is left in doubt. It was painted by Austrian Jewish artist Hugo Dachinger whilst interned at Mooragh Internment Camp in Ramsey on the Isle of Man. Although only interned for seven months, Dachinger produced a vast quantity of artwork, often painted on newspaper. Whilst in Mooragh Camp and following his release in January 1941, Dachinger staged exhibitions of his work entitled ‘Art Behind Barbed Wire’.  We have a number of his internment pieces in the art collection.

Click the image to view this object on our iMuseum (1994-0021/8)

My second choice (1994-0021/8) would be a rare self-portrait by Hungarian Jewish artist Imre Goth (1893-1982), sketched whilst interned in Palace Internment Camp.  In the 1930s Goth was working as a celebrated portrait artist in Germany, before being forced to flee the country after painting an unflattering portrait of Nazi leader Hermann Goering. He fled to Britain where he continued his career as a portrait painter.  Goth’s artworks from the 1930s and 1940s are in high demand and we have twelve pieces in the art collection, purchased with the help of the Friends of Manx National Heritage.”

You can now find the Second World War Internment Museum Collections on iMuseum by clicking here.

 

Katie Clugston
Digital Collections Assistant
Katie.Clugston@mnh.im

Blog Archive

October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
January 2023
June 2022
May 2022
March 2022
February 2022
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
February 2021
December 2020
November 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
March 2018
February 2018
December 2017
November 2017
September 2017
June 2017
May 2017
March 2017
February 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
August 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015