The first biography of sculptor Oscar Nemon (1906-1985), the unknown artist behind some of Britain's most iconic statues.
Oscar Nemon is one of the twentieth century's greatest sculptors, as testified by his iconic portraits of elder statesmen and major figures displayed all over the world. He was a flamboyant personality who charmed those who came in contact with him, including towering figures such as Winston Churchill, Sigmund Freud and Queen Elizabeth II and countless politicians and celebrities, as well as a host of women including his long-suffering wife.
Their elder daughter Aurelia has gone in search of this often infuriating yet charismatic man and reveals the stories behind his artistic and personal encounters with presidents, prime ministers, royalty and others. She chronicles her father's life from humble origins as a Jew in modern-day Croatia to his refuge from the Nazis in southern England and the life and career he made for himself in and around London with his British wife Patricia. The author engagingly explains how the Queen nicknamed him the `missing Oscar' and how Nemon became the subject of the only attempt at sculpture by his friend Churchill, who posed for many likenesses including a monumental bronze in the House of Commons. The result is an intimate biography of an artist, husband and father complemented by a wealth of fascinating illustrations.
Nemon's remarkable talent should have resulted in wide international renown, but he struggled for much of his early career, as many within the British establishment from the 1930s on - including Patricia's parents - were openly anti-Semitic, and they excluded him from their circles. Yet his achievements were great and his legacy immense. In Finding Nemon, the first biography of Oscar Nemon to appear in English, richly illustrated and beautifully presented, Aurelia Young draws her father out from the shadow of his remarkable body of work.
