 Emil Fuchs, self portrait 1905, at the open collection of theBrooklynMuseum. |  Emil Fuchs around 1924 - taken from his autobiography. |
Emil Fuchs, self portrait 1905, at the open collection of theBrooklynMuseum. | Emil Fuchs around 1924 - taken from his autobiography. |
Emil Fuchs occurs as the "Beefsteak German" in Tine Cool's book "Thefive of us in Rome" (1928). He can be identified since he was the neighbournextdoor who came frying his steaks in the family's kitchen. Albert Zacher'sreportin the Frankfurter Zeitung 1895 explains that it is indeed Fuchs who livesnextdoor. According to thehard data,Fuchs was in the Villa in 1892/93 and likely he would have stayed till1897.LifeFuchs wrote his biography "WithPencil, Brush and Chisel. The life of an artist" (Putnam NY 1925) andmentions on page 187: "As in the good old days at the Villa Strohl Fernin Rome, I lounged about in the garden (...)". Earlier in the book we findthat his 1891 Prix de Rome first sets him in the offical location onMonteParioli, (p24) (notone of the original seven hills) and then he rents himself "nearby" (p26).A nice overview of his life is given by "Paintingsand Sculpture in the Collection of the National Academy of Design"by David Bernard Dearinger, National Academy of Design (U.S.). As explainedthere, Fuchs was apparently diagnosed around 1929 with cancer and a slowpainful death, and opted for a quick suicide. It is front page news forthe Charlotte Observer, atebay.There is of course anobituaryin the New York Times: "FUCHS LEFT $500,000 AND ART TO PUBLIC". We findthis confirmed in the Brooklyn MuseumAmerican Painters catalogue:""Fuchs was hospitalized for cancer surgery in 1928. He continuedto suffer, however, and in early January 1929, he committed suicide inhis Hotel des Artistes residence." Herewe find: "Vienna-born American artist EMIL FUCHS (1866-1929) studied inVienna and at the Royal Academy in London before coming to the U.S. in1905. A prolific sculptor (Fuchs created a number of medals that remainhighly collectible today), he also enjoyed celebrity as a portraitist ofEnglish and American "high society" figures." [1905 are winter trips anda full move is only in 1915] This is thebiographyat the Tate Gallery: "Austrian sculptor, medallist and painter, bornin Vienna. Studied under the sculptor Hellmer at the Vienna Academy, andunder Schaper and von Werner at the Academy in Berlin. Won the Rome Prizein 1891 and spent 1891-7 in Rome. Then lived in London 1897-1915, receivingmany commissions from society and aristocratic patrons, including QueenVictoria and King Edward VII; designed, among other things, the King EdwardVII postage stamps and the Coronation medal. Made portrait busts, medals,statuettes, memorials, etc. First began to work in oil in 1897, under theguidance of Sargent, and subsequently painted many portraits of Englishand American sitters. First one-man exhibition at the Grafton Galleries,London, 1902. Settled in New York in 1915. Autobiography With Pencil, Brushand Chisel published 1925. Died in New York." Fuchs was also a brother-in-law ofGustavFreitag. There is mention of a sister Renee. WorksIn the review of his autobiography, his postage stamp got some fun commentsinTimemagazine (1925). The stamp still got anauctionin 2010.Apparently he also made the death mask ofQueenVictoria. The Metropolitan Museum has acoronationmedal and the medal for theAmericanNumismatic Society. The Metropolitan also hasphotographs- but the one of the artist in his studio is wrongly dated (see also theautobiography). These are works at theNationalPortait Gallery, and this page lists some otherworks,notably in the USA See this book "Thework of Emil Fuchs; illustrating some of his representative paintings,sculpture, medals and studies. Issued on the occasion of an exhibitionof his works under the auspices of Messrs. Cartier, February 7th to March5th,1921. New York city (1921)" A book on Fuchs andetching.SIMMONS, WILLIAM, Champlain, N.Y.: Winfred Porter Truesdell, 1929. 8 pp.,3 illustrations. Originally published in The Print Connoisseur, 1929. A work by Fuchs for thecoverof the Saturday Evening Post. Online details are given in the "sculpturemapping project". It is not clear whether they have included Fuchs'ssculpting for the Boer War memorial inPlymouth. An discussion in amagazine"International Studio". EstateTheFuchsestate 1880-1931 is managed by theBrooklynMuseum. There is surprising little material from before 1901. Fuchsrecords are also mentioned in the Brooklyn records at theSmithsonian.Barbara Leoni and Gabriele D'AnnunzioElvira Fraternali(1862-1949), divorced from Ercole Leoni, had a relationship in 1887-1892with Gabriele D'Annunzio (1863-1938), at that moment married and just witha third child. He called her "Barbara" so Elvira is also known as BarbaraLeoni. Apparently she inspired him to the book "Trionfodella morte". See also hislettersto her.Because of his infidelity, Elvira broke off the relationship with D'Annunzio,and fled into the arms of ... Emil Fuchs. Gabriele Tristano Oppo recently wrote the book "Barbarella"- and on the cover we see her picture, in a pastel by Emil Fuchs. John Woodhouse in "DefiantArchangel" discusses his portrait of her. (D'Annuzio called himself"Ariel" - and AR.I.E.L now also the name of the database of the Rome libraryfor dannunziana.) Apparently, the Brooklyn Museum sold offtwonudes from the Fuchs estate. Asked, the Museum tells me that they donot know when these pictures were made. The nude painting on the left hasa fine frame around it. Why would Fuchs keep that painting in his studio? The face of the nude on the left looks a bit like the face of the pastelof Elvira. (The painting on the right does not, with its curls.) Apparently they lived in the Villa Strohl-Fern.ChristineThomé suggests that D'Annunzio visits at the Villa, referringto a book by Annamaria Andreoli. Thomé mentions the time window1887-1892 but this does not fit if she joins up with Fuchs after 1892.But D'Annunzio might still have some contact with Fraternali; for examplehe still writes aletterin 1895. Sergio Nasca madefilmof the affair. Thecastincludes Emil Fuchs. PM.Trombadorimentions the period 1880-1884 but then Fuchs would have been 14 -18 andthat does not fit. AlsoArtRenewal has these wrong years. The proper time window for Emil andElvira is 1892-1897. Franco di Tizio clarifies that the story for Elvira is rather sad. ErcoleLeoni's sexual wanderings gave her a disease so that she no longer couldhave children. When Fuchs leaves to London in 1897, she stays behind. Sheadopts a daughter (picturein 1905) but when the girl later discovers that she is only adopted thenthe daughter leaves her. She has to sell D'Annunzio's letters for cash.Fuchs's autobiography is silent on these things, apparently issues tooprivate. PM. It is surprising that Fuchs is in the middle between a children'sbook (as Tine's book was published) and this story. PM. This is D'Annunzio's mausoleum, theVittoriale.Film maker Emigholz describes it withhorror.D'Annunzio as a "duce" atFiume. PM. Anote in Dutch with more questions about Emil, Elvira and Gabriele, also presentedhere. Relation to "The five of us in Rome"
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