Oscar Nemon was born in Osijek in 1906. As a student in the Balkans, he trained in classical sculpture and early in his life showed great promise. In the decades leading up to the Second World War, Nemon travelled around Europe, climbing a ladder of celebrity commissions, before being recommended to Sigmund Freud, whom he sculpted in 1931. Facing persecution for his Jewish background, Nemon sought refuge from the war in Britain and set up a studio in his Oxford home. Once in Britain his career took off in earnest. Among his sitters were several Prime Ministers, European and American Presidents, statesmen, celebrities and Royal family members, including Queen Elizabeth II. By the time of his death in 1981, Oscar Nemon was considered one of the greatest sculptors of the Twentieth Century.

Today Oscar Nemon is best known for his busts and sculptures of Winston Churchill. In this sample from Finding Nemon: The Extraordinary Life of the Outsider Who Sculpted the Famous, Aurelia Young, Nemon’s daughter, chronicles the first tentative encounter between the two head-strong and vital characters, an encounter that originated a productive and surprising artistic relationship.

Want to read more? Finding Nemon: The Extraordinary Life of the Outsider Who Sculpted the Famous by Aurelia Young with Julian Hale is out September.

Finding Nemon Churchil Chapter Sample

Extract from Finding Nemon

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