Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.


Richard Weisbrod artist

Richard Weisbrod was born in Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland, in 1906, and moved to England in 1932 to manage his family’s silk mill. A self-taught artist, Weisbrod's art is distinguished by vibrant colour and robust drawing, often inspired by the industrial landscapes of Lancashire and the picturesque scenes from his travels to France and Switzerland, to Paris and London. A versatile artist, he produced works in watercolour, painting, and drawing, as well as pioneering kinetic sculpture in the UK.

Born: 1906 Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland

Died: 1991 Begnins, Switzerland

Year of Migration to the UK: 1932


Biography

Artist Richard Weisbrod was born in Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland, on 16 April 1906. Despite a strong inclination towards painting from an early age, Weisbrod was directed to manage his family’s silk mill, a business with a longstanding presence in both Switzerland and England. His move to Blackburn, Lancashire, England in 1932 marked the beginning of a more focused pursuit of his artistic aspirations, having begun painting seven years earlier.

A self-taught artist, Weisbrod experimented with various media, including watercolour, painting, drawing, and kinetic sculpture. Weisbrod's works are often inspired by the industrial landscapes of Lancashire, including the stark silhouettes of Pendleton’s pit-heads and the bleak backstreets. His versatility as an artist is evident in his range of subjects, capturing scenes from his travels to London, Paris, and to Switzerland, with a lively and vigourous style. His naturalistic landscapes, principally in opaque watercolour, are noted for their attractive and comparatively free style. He often employed rich colours and detailed elements, especially trees drawn in black, creating an effect reminiscent of pen and ink drawings.

Weisbrod’s integration into the art community in Lancashire saw him become a member of the Manchester Academy of Fine Arts (MAFA), Manchester Group, Manchester Graphic Club, Blackburn Artists' Society, and the Lancashire Group of Artists. Furthermore, beyonnd his art, as chief textile designer and co-owner of the Lancashire Silk Mills in Darwen, he played a pivotal role in the expansion of the dress fabric department. Weisbrod's career was also marked by a strong network of friendships with notable artists such as L.S. Lowry, Theo Major, Ned Owens, and with Andras Kalman, émigré founder of the Crane Gallery in Manchester and, later, the Crane Kalman Gallery in London, which supported a number of refugee artists and showed Weisbrod's work on several occasions. Weisbrod's travels, particularly to France, where the intense sunlight helped him create dramatic scenes, significantly influenced his work. He was also active in the Swiss Club Manchester, where he gave a lecture titled ‘Painting for Pleasure’ in 1951. During his lecture, Weisbrod shared his personal experiences and provided an overview of modern painting, explaining the reasons behind the effectiveness of certain pictures and the importance of composition and outlines. He used reproductions from the Arts Council and his own paintings to illustrate his points (Swiss Observer 1951).

Weisbrod’s debut solo exhibition took place in 1949 at Margo Ingham’s Mid-Day Studios in Manchester, followed by significant shows in London at the Leger Galleries (1950 and 1955), the Leicester Galleries, and the Crane Gallery in Manchester (both 1952). Weisbrod's 1950 exhibition was a notable milestone, attracting attention from important visitors, including the Swiss Minister, Monsieur Henry de Torrenté. The show was described in the press as an event in the London textile world. Among other guests were several well-known figures in the trade, including Miss Elizabeth Wray, editor of Fashions and Fabrics, and the editor of Vogue. Additionally, well-known British artists of the day, such as John Minton and Michael Ayrton, were present at the exhibition, which featured landscapes from northern France, Switzerland, and the UK, showcasing Weisbrod's ability to capture diverse geographical settings. In 1955 he showed with the Royal Society of British Artists at Suffolk Street, London, and he also exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition during the 1950s. These exhibitions set the stage for numerous solo shows throughout Europe, including in Zurich, all helping to establishing his reputation. In 1960, he contributed to the Lancashire Group of Artists’ exhibition at Bootle Public Library. The Liverpool Echo noted that his ‘violent Still Life blazes up in all the reds of a boiled lobster and is nicely countered by the massive greens of his Bridge Over the Seine and shot-silk landscape of Provence’ (Liverpool Echo 1960, p. 7). In 1969, Weisbrod held a solo exhibition of kinetic art at the Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington, which garnered much success, especially among young people and teenagers who were particularly fascinated by the movement and changing patterns in his works. Due to its popularity, the exhibition was extended for an additional three weeks. One of the most innovative ever staged at the gallery, it highlighted Weisbrod's pioneering contributions to kinetic art in England, stemming from developments he had made in his business life. A picture of Weisbrod presenting his sculpture Reflecting Cube was reproduced in the Accrington Observer and Times on 4 November 1969, p. 3.

Weisbrod was married first to Lucette Glardon, with whom he had four children, including Annette, who became a successful international concert pianist, and second to José Christopherson, a fellow painter from Manchester, with whom he held a joint exhibition at the Crane Gallery, Manchester, in 1954. In the 1970s, the couple moved to Vaud, Switzerland, where they ran the Atelier-Galerie Bois de Chêne, a creative space. Richard Weisbrod died in Begnins, Switzerland on 19 December 1991. His works are held in several UK public collections, including Manchester City Art Gallery, Touchstone Rochdale, and the Blackburn Museum and Art Gallery.

Related books

  • ‘Different Form of Art is on Show at Haworth Park’, Accrington Observer and Times, 4 November 1969, p. 3
  • ‘Kinetic Art Comes to Accrington’, Accrington Observer and Times, 28 October 1969, p. 6
  • J. T. D. 'Marriage of Two Art Traditions: Crane Gallery Show, The Manchester Guardian, 18 June 1959, p. 11
  • F.G.S., ‘The Royal Academy’, Jewish Chronicle 10 May 1957, p. 27
  • ‘Lancashire Artists’ Gay Show’, Liverpool Echo, 15 March 1957, p. 13
  • ‘Mr. Richard Weisbrod’, The Times, 20 June 1955, p. 3
  • ‘Richard Weisbrod’, Jewish Chronicle, 24 June 1955, p. 10
  • Aspects de la Peinture Anglaise Contemporaine, exhibition catalogue (Genève: Galerie Motte, 1954)
  • Stephen Bone, 'Experiments of Long Ago: Mr Pasmore's 'Revival'', The Manchester Guardian, 6 May 1952, p. 5
  • ‘Watercolours Exhibition’, The Swiss Observer, 10 April 1952, p. 6381
  • N. M. R., 'Richard Weisbrod', The Manchester Guardian, 1 October 1951, p. 5
  • ‘Swiss Club Manchester’, The Swiss Observer, 27 July 1951, p. 6064
  • 'Manchester Arts Club', The Manchester Guardian, 25 March 1950, p. 4
  • S.T.,‘Watercolours Exhibiton’, The Swiss Observer, 10 March 1950, p. 5400
  • ‘One Man Show’, Manchester Evening News, 2 March 1950, p. 3
  • Ermanno B., ‘One Man Show of Paintings in Manchester’, 25 February 1949, p. 4972
  • N. S., 'Midday Studios', The Manchester Guardian, 31 May 1949, p. 5
  • Cheapest and Best’, Manchester Evening News, 30 March 1948, p. 2
  • D. S., 'Art Shows', The Manchester Guardian, 23 May 1947, p. 3
  • ‘Stilted Painting in Fine Arts Show’, Manchester Evening News, 25 January 1946, p. 8

Related organisations

  • Blackburn Artists' Society (member)
  • Manchester Academy of Fine Arts (member)
  • Lancashire Group of Artists (member)
  • Manchester Graphic Club (member)
  • Manchester Group (member)
  • Royal Society of British Artists (exhibitor)

Related web links

Selected exhibitions

  • Movement and Light and Exhibition of Kinetic Art, Haworth Art Gallery, Accrington (1969)
  • Lancashire Group of Artists, Bootle Public Library, Bottle, Lancashire (1960)
  • Richard Weisbrod, Crane Gallery, Manchester (1959)
  • Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibition, London (1959)
  • Third One Man Exhibition of Paintings by Richard Weisbrod, Crane Gallery, Manchester (1957)
  • Oil Gouaches and Ink Drawings by Richard Weisbrod, Salford City Art Gallery, Salford (1956)
  • Lancashire Group Art Show, Bury, Lancashire (1955)
  • Royal Society of British Artists Exhibition, Suffolk Street, London (1955)
  • Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibition (1957, 1955)
  • Richard Weisbrod and José Christopherson, Crane Gallery, Manchester (1954)
  • The Lancashire Scene, Salford Art Gallery, Salford (1953)
  • Richard Weisbrod and John Paddy Carstairs, Crane Gallery, Manchester (1952)
  • Watercolours by Richard Weisbrod, Leger Galleries; Leicester Galleries, London (1952)
  • Richard Weisbrod, Midday Studios, Manchester (1951)
  • Manchester Arts Club Exhibition, Midday Studios, Manchester (1950)
  • Manchester Society of Modern Painters, City Art Gallery, Manchester (1949)
  • Manchester Group Exhibition, Midday Studios, Manchester (1949, 1947)
  • Manchester Arts Club Exhibition, Midday Studios, Manchester (1948)
  • Manchester Academy of Fine Arts Exhibition, Manchester (1945)
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Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Richard Weisbrod]

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Publications related to [Richard Weisbrod] in the Ben Uri Library