Heinz Henghes, a sculptor, was born Gustav Heinrich Clusmann in Hamburg (Germany) on 1906-08-20 .

Henghes runs away from home to America at the age of 17. In New York he meets with artists and writers and is influenced by Isamu Noguchi. In 1932 after 8 years in America Henghes travels to France and lives for a short time in Paris where he meets Constantin Brancusi. 1933 takes Henghes to Rapallo in Italy where he enjoys the patronage of Ezra Pound who helps him by providing materials and space to work. For the next four years Henghes is based in Italy holding a number of exhibitions and building his reputation as a sculptor.

In 1937 Henghes moves to England and sets up a studio in London. By the time of the outbreak of war Henghes has held a number of exhibitions including at the Guggenheim Jeune Gallery in Cork Street. Still a German national Henghes is sent on the notorious ship the Dunera to Australia where he is briefly interned in 1940 at camp Hay. In 1941 he returns to England and for much of the war works freelance writing on current affairs for the BBC. His talks are broadcast on Radio Newsreel, on the Latin American Service, on the Italian Programme and other services in a variety of languages.

One man and group shows pick up after the war and whilst he is also a lecturer in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art Henghes participates in the 1951 Festival of Britain. During this period he is also broadcasting on Art.

In 1953 Henghes moves to the Dordogne region of France where he was drawn by the discovery of Lascaux. Here he lives and works until 1964 when he returns to England to take up the post of Head of Fine Art at Winchester Art School retiring again to France in 1973. He dies on the 20th December 1975 in Bordeaux.

Henghes is particularly noted for his finely polished white marble torsos, but he moved with the times always living for the present and working in a range of materials and styles.

External links

• 'Henghes Association web site' including a full catalogue and chronology.
• 'Brian Patten on Heinz Henghes'