Ben Uri Research Unit

Born: 1883 Kingston upon Hull, England

Died: 1955 London, England

Other name/s: William F C Ohly, William Ferdinand Charles Ohly

Biography

Art collector and art dealer, William Ohly was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, in 1883 to a German-Jewish family. His father, Carl Engelbert Victor Ohly, was a Protrestant from Ibbenbüren, Germany, while his mother, Louise Pauline Strauss, came from the well-known Jewish Strauss family of Otterberg in the Rhineland-Palatinate. Ohly trained at the State Academy in Frankfurt in the late 1890s, before apprenticing with Hugo Lederer in Berlin, whose studio in the Sigismundshof was a vibrant hub for Jewish and artistic communities. There, Ohly connected with figures including British theatre designer, Edward Gordon Craig and dancer, Isadora Duncan. Ohly’s early career as a sculptor focussed on works that blended diverse artistic traditions, such as ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian art. Collaborating with his brother Ernest, he completed notable projects such as the Helmholtz School carvings and a cemetery fountain in Frankfurt. The Goose Rider Fountain in Essen exemplifies his innovative approach, merging expressive masks with animal forms. After Ernest's death during the First World War, Ohly’s later works, including the St. George’s Fountain in Speyer, reflected expressionist influences and empathy, blending contemporary and Christian themes.

In 1933–1934, facing rising anti-Semitism under National Socialism, Ohly relocated to London with his wife Gertrude, whose family connections further made staying in Germany untenable. In London, Ohly joined evening lithography classes at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, where he became part of a politically active circle of anti-fascist and working-class artists. This group, which later formed the Marxist agit-prop Artists’ International Association (AIA), informed Ohly’s early engagement with London’s migrant and working-class communities. These influences were evident in his 1939 solo exhibition Impressions of London: Dockland, East End, West End, which depicted everyday working life across the capital. Ohly also showed with Ben Uri in the Annual Exhibition of Works by Jewish Artists in 1937.

In 1941, Ohly established the Berkeley Galleries in London's West End, creating a distinctive space that showcased both ethnographic and contemporary art. Located on Davies Street, it became a unique hub for diverse art forms, reflecting Ohly's deep interest in non-Western traditions. The gallery featured an extensive collection of so-called ‘primitive art’, including African and Asian works, alongside modern pieces by emerging artists. Exhibitors included both prominent artists and émigrés, such as Frances Hodgkins, Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Oskar Kokoschka, Jack B. Yeats, Fred Uhlman, Lucie Rie, and Hans Coper, underscoring Ohly’s pivotal role in fostering a vibrant, cosmopolitan art scene, embracing artists in exile. Ohly also sought to champion promising young talents, including Henry Moore, whom he invited to participate in exhibitions, as evidenced in their correspondence (Jane Eckett’s talk). Moore subsequently became a regular exhibitor at the Berkeley and, later, a frequent visitor to the Abbey Art Centre, Ohly's postwar project.

In 1946, Ohly expanded his vision by purchasing the Abbey Art Centre in New Barnet, a former religious community that he transformed into an artist's colony. Offering affordable rents and a tranquil environment, the centre provided much-needed workspace and accommodation for struggling artists, including many refugees. Early residents included Australian artists, Graham King and Max Newton, who helped renovate the centre, and Viennese émigrés, such as Helen Grunwald. According to Rex Butler and A. D. S. Donaldson, the Abbey became a crucial transnational site, fostering collaborations between Australian and European artists and reshaping national art histories (Butler and Donaldson 2024). It also served as a platform for launching lesser-known artists, with its exhibitions often linked to the Berkeley. Ohly’s activities also extended beyond his role as a dealer, gallerist and facilitator. In 1943, his artwork Limehouse Causeway, later acquired by the British Museum, featured in a Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (C.E.M.A.) exhibition touring Civil Defence Regions, alongside works by Duncan Grant, Lucien Pissarro, and Eric Gill. That year, Ohly also curated the exhibition Animals in Chinese Art at the Berkeley Galleries, which included ‘exquisite’ glazed pottery such as dragons, horses, and camels, and celebrated Chinese artistry while supporting Lady Cripps' United Aid to China Fund (Yorkshire Post, p. 2).

Ohly’s influence extended beyond his lifetime, as demonstrated by the rediscovery of a Benin Bronze head—later known as the ‘Ohly Head’—from his collection in 2016. Originally displayed in 1947 at the Berkeley, the piece had been locked away in a bank vault for decades before its emergence. It became one of the most valuable Benin Bronzes ever sold, reflecting Ohly’s keen eye for ethnographic art and his role in preserving and showcasing significant artefacts. By the 1950s, Ohly's influence had grown further, when the Abbey's 14th-century tithe barn was converted into a museum for his personal collection, allowing visitors to explore his ethnographic and contemporary art holdings. William Ohly died in London, England on on 22 July 1955. A memorial exhibition was held at the Berkeley Galleries in September of that year. In summer 2024, Ohly was featured in Ben Uri's exhibition Cosmopolis: The Impact of Refugee Art Dealers in London, underscoring his enduring legacy.

Related books

Rex Butler and A D S Donaldson, The Origins of the Abbey: 1947–1950 An Artist Colony Without a History, Third Text, Vol. 38, 2024
François de Ricqlès Lionel Gosset, Art Africain et Océanien Collection William Ohly, exhibition catalogue (Paris: Christies, 2011)
Hermione Waterhouse and J.C.H.King, Provenance, Twelve Collectors of Ethnographic Art in England 1760-1990' (London: Paul Holberton Publishers, 2009)
‘Scenes of a Vanished East End: William Ohly’s Pictures', The Times, London, 21 September 1955, p. 3
C. A. Burland, Memorial Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture by William Ohly (London: Berkeley Galleries, 1955)
‘Abbey Art Centre’, The Times, 28 March 1952, p. 8
‘History in Stone: Houses, Ancient and Modern in the News. ... An Abbey Art Colony', The Sphere, London, 18 September 1948, p. 375
‘Art Exhibition’, Morpeth Herald, 26 February 1943, p. 2
‘Miniature Animals’, Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer, 25 May 1943, p. 2

Public collections

British Museum

Selected exhibitions

Cosmopolis: The Impact of Refugee Art Dealers in London, Ben Uri Gallery and Museum, London (2024)
Memorial Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture by William Ohly, Berkeley Galleries, London (1955)
Exhibition of Japanese Art, Berkeley Galleries, London (1955)
Exhibition of Europeans Seen Through Native Eyes: Sculptures from Africa, Asia and America, Berkeley Galleries, London (1954)
William A. Stewart: the Artist's Paintings and his Collection of Egyptian Antiquities, Berkeley Galleries, London (1953)
Exhibition of Terracotta Animals, Berkeley Galleries, London (1953)
Exhibition of the art of ancient Nigeria, Berkeley Galleries, London (1951)
Art of Primitive Peoples: Ancient Benin, Berkeley Galleries, London (1947)
Art of Ancient America, Berkeley Galleries (1947)
Exhibition of Chinese Sculpture, Berkeley Galleries (1946)
Georges la Barre: Memorial Exhibition, the Artist's Paintings, His Pottery and His Collection of Chinese Ceramics, Berkeley Galleries (1946)
Exhibition of the art of Tibet and Neighbouring Countries, Berkeley Galleries (1945)
Exhibition of Animals in Chinese Art, Berkeley Galleries (1943)
The Goddess of Mercy, Kuanyin, in Chinese Art, Berkeley Galleries (1943)
Impressions of London: Dockland, East End, West End; Watercolours and Drawings by William F. C. Ohly, 11 Avenue Studios, Sydney Close, 76 Fulham Road, London (1939)
Annual Exhibition of Works by Jewish Artists (group show), Ben Uri Art Society, London (1937)

Ben Uri archive

Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [William Ohly]

Ben Uri Research Unit

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

William Ohly art dealer