An Unusual Connection Between Art in London and Příbor
STYL
98 ǀ POSITIV 3/2024
In a few sentences, please introduce yourself.
When and where were you born? What have you
accomplished professionally in your life?
My name is Peter Henson and I was born in Preston,
UK in 1955. That makes me 68 years young! Although
I qualified as a Civil Engineer from University, I spent
most of my professional career as an Acoustic
Consultant, gaining a Masters in Environmental
Acoustics from a London University. I became
a partner in a firm of architects known as Bickerdike
Allen Partners. Nowadays, while I am retained by my
practice as a consultant, I do very little acoustics work.
My focus now is on developing an Art Hub here in
Pribor as a legacy to my late wife Jane McAdam Freud,
the great granddaughter of Sigmund Freud.
How did it come about that Jane and you were
approached by the city of Příbor? How did
you become the owner of one of the historic houses
on the main square, including an art gallery that was
created right next door?
It is a long story but I will try and explain as briefly
as I can. In 2006, Jane was the first artist in residence
at the Freud Museum, London. She was asked to visit
Příbor to sign a book about Sigmund celebrating
150 years since his birth. Jane and I flew to Příbor and
we immediately fell in love with the city, particularly
the beautiful square. I also felt that something or
someone grabbed me by the collar and said you
must bring Jane and her work here, to the birthplace
of Sigmund Freud. It seemed to make complete sense
as Jane had already discovered through her residency,
the incredible similarities between her artworks and
Sigmund‘s collected works back in London. We asked
the mayor of Příbor at the time, Mr Milan Strakoš, to let
us know if ever a house on the square came up for sale.
Two years later, we became the proud owners of No.28,
Namesti Sigmunda Freuda. It would take another
12 years before the gallery came into existence, which
came about simply because we sought a place to store
Jane’s work. The gallery (a former shoe shop) contains
a large store at the rear and is directly next door to
our house. We had to go through a competition with
three other bidders to rent the property from Příbor
Town Council. Fortunately, we won and the gallery
was born.
Even though Sigmund Freud did not live in Příbora
for a long time (only until he was three years old), he
is rightly considered to be the most prominent and
well-known personality of the city. How does Freud's
legacy resonate in the world,specifically in London?
What was the source of inspiration of Freud’s legacy
for Jane?
Sigmund Freud belongs to that very small and select
group of people who are known throughout the entire
world. No matter what you think of his theories, he was
the founder of psychoanalysis. He is a figure that comes
and goes out of fashion but he is never forgotten. In
London, his figure is as strong as ever, and the Freud
Museum in London goes on from the strength. For
Jane, she came to discover Freud late in her life. While
she had studied his written works at college, it was only
in 2005, during her residency in the Freud Museum,
was she amazed to find he collected antiquities in
pairs. Jane’s art was very much featured in pairs. Jane
became fascinated with Freud and concluded that he
was also unwittingly the founder of conceptual art.
Why Are Sigmund Freud’s Great-
Granddaughter and a World-Renowned
Architect Drawn to This City?
An Unusual Connection
Between Art in London and Příbor
“
Jane and I ew to Příbor
and we immediately fell in love
with the place.
”
Foto: soukromý fotoarchív
Petera Hensona
Výstava Jane McAdam Freud, první výstava
v příborské galerii | Exhibion of Jane McAdam Freud, the rst
exhibion in the Příbor gallery