| Activity | Sculptor, born in Austria. Leonard's secretary, Kay Starr, met him in Austria whilst on holiday and invited him to stay with her at Dartington if he were to come to England. He came to visit Dartington Hall in 1934 or 1935, in flight from Nazism and stayed for eleven years. He taught at the Arts Department from 1936 to 1940. He was given his own studio to work in, which was close to the children's playhouse so he got to know Ruth well, but he was unable to make the head of Ruth mentioned in the letters as she left for the US before he could do more than a couple of sketches. He was very grateful to the Elmhirsts for taking him in and giving him opportunities which he could not have had elsewhere and also appreciative of how much they had done for the area. After the outbreak of World War II, he was interned for a while in Canada because of his nationality. He returned to London in 1945, where he married Simone Moser, whom he had met at Dartington Hall. He taught at Chelsea School of Art from 1947-72 and his work is owned and displayed in many museums, galleries and private collections. Sculptures owned by The Dartington Hall Trust include: the bronze donkey (1935) and the stone swans fountain (1949) on permanent display in Dartington Hall Gardens . |