KARL GOLDSCHMIDT

(Anglo-German, 1912-1995)

STILL LIFE, ROSES WITH FIGURE APPROACHING

Oil on Canvas

24 x 20 Inches

Signed Lower Left, 'Karl Goldschmidt'

 

Karl Goldschmidt was born in Elbefeld, Germany where he studied graphic art and was initially influenced by the German Expressionists. With the rise of fascism, he left Germany as Hitler came to power in 1933 and traveled to Mallorca where he met, and befriended, the English poet and author Robert Graves. Goldschmidt was employed by Graves as translator, editor and assistant until 1937 when he was evacuated to England on a British Destroyer at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. A committed anti-fascist, Goldschmidt served in the British Navy during World War II and was provided with an English name to enable his survival in the event of his becoming a prisoner of war.

 

After the war, he was granted full British citizenship and, choosing to keep his adopted name, returned to Mallorca to work with Graves. Now as Kenneth Gay, but still called 'Karl' by his friends, Goldschmidt remained in Mallorca and served Graves as his invaluable assistant until 1965. "Above all, he gave of his editorial acumen. He insisted on the highest standards - however many drafts were required. Graves's large production would have been impossible without Gay's help. He was the dedicatee of two of Graves's books, 'The Long Week-End' and 'The Anger of Achilles' (1959), Graves's translation of The Iliad to which the dedication reads: "To Kenneth Gay, in gratitude for twenty-five years of patient critical help". - Obituary, The Independent.

 

In 1968, Goldschmidt became the curator of the poetry collection of the State University College at Buffalo where he served until 1978. The collection, which includes manuscripts, periodicals, books and recordings, has sizable holdings of Graves's manuscripts and publications. During Goldschmidt's tenure as curator, the overall collection more than doubled in size, to more than 65,000 items. He then returned to Mallorca where he lived for the remainder of his life.