An Unusual Connection Between Art in London and Příbor
STYLE
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As a result of this, Jane became bonded
with Sigmund in a way that she never
managed with her own father Lucian
Freud.
In 2022, your wife Jane left this world
after a serious illness. Please tell us
more about the woman she was ?
Jane was a unique person with a sharp wit.
She was highly intelligent and she excelled
at art . Jane studied at two of the best
art colleges in the world, Central School
of Art and Design and the Royal College
of Art in London. She sold her first artwork
to the British Museum when she was still
a student, at around the age of 20.
Her family life was unusual. Her mother
took her and her two brothers and sister
away from her father Lucian Freud when
Jane was 8 years of age. She never saw
him again until she was in her 30’s and
had established herself as a recognised
artist under the name Jane McAdam
(her mother’s name). She was awarded
the Freedom of the City of London and
needed a birth certificate. Her father
obliged and it stated her name was Jane
McAdam Freud. Only then did her peers
realise she was related to one of Britain‘s
most famous painters, Lucian Freud,
as well as one of the most famous men in
the world, Sigmund Freud.
Jane’s main love in life was her art.
Jane departed this world just after
the completion of the gallery in 2022. She
called the gallery her Taj Mahal, in that she
felt it was a dedication to her. Our house is
directly next door to the gallery. The plan
for the house had always been to turn it
into a museum of Jane’s art and to offer
workshops and art residences/courses
to people interested in art and Freud.
The gallery provides an opportunity
to extend this idea of an Art Hub even
further, providing a shop window for local,
regional and international artists to present
works that keep with the principles and
themes of what interested Jane, which
was art and psychoanalysis. My plan now
is simply to bring this dream into reality.
The museum in the house will open
hopefully sometime in late 2024 or early
2025 so that the public can enjoy seeing
the breadth of Jane’s works and also
where she spent the last two years of her
life. There is perhaps a familial irony in that
Sigmund, born in Pribor, spent the last
year of his life in London while Jane, born
in London, spent the last two years of her
life in Příbor.
It was of course logical that the first
exhibition at the Jane McAdam
Freud gallery in Příbora was Jane´s
presentation and a kind of introduction
to the citizens of the city. What sort
of activities are there at the gallery and
what can its visitors look forward to in
the future?
There is much for visitors to Příbor and
the gallery to look forward to. Following
the recent and well received exhibition
called “I Am Always Yours" by Christine
Habermann von Hoch, a renowned Czech-
German artist who works in metal, and
also Art Freud, a Czech wide competition
about Sigmund for mainly children but
also adults, a series of exhibitions are lined
up. Starting at the beginning of September
is an exhibition of works by a local well
known photographer called Rudolf Jarnot.
Then in November, the gallery’s first artist
in residence, Holly Stephenson, from
the UK will be exhibiting and working
in conjunction with the Freud Birth
House in Příbor and the Freud Museum
in London. Early next year, an exhibition
by the Scottish artist Iain Patterson will
take place, followed by an exhibition
of water colours by the famous architect
Steven Holl, the designer of the new
concert hall in Ostrava.
How important is the support of the city
for the gallery and what has that level
of support looked like?
It is fair to say that without the support
of the city, this whole project would
never have begun. The city has been
supportive throughout, starting with
helping in the acquisition and renovation
of the house (museum) and also in
supporting the refurbishment of the shoe
shop into a gallery. Finally, Příbor Council,
through the visionary nature and activities
of its Mayor, Jan Malik, continues to
support and encourage the gallery to
further the cultural exchange and growth
of the town.
At the end of my interviews I like to ask
all my guests, what makes them happy
in life? How do you manage to detach
yourself from the worries of the world?
And what kind of activity or rest do you
use to replenish your vital energy?
I love this question as it essentially taps into
the meaning of life. For me, what makes me
happy is connecting with people. Having
loved and lost two wives tragically in my
life, I now know that nothing matters more
than people and how we connect with
them. It might just be a connection, with
your own partner or family or it might be
through a large network of friends. Either
way, it is that connection with another
human being that I find so important and
satisfying.
Now that I am retired from my professional
life, I find life a lot less stressful so it is
much easier for me to detach myself from
the worries of the world. I suppose I am
fortunate (at least in one way) that I don’t
have too many money worries, I have time
on my hands and I also have my health.
This combination makes for a relatively
stress free life. But I appreciate that most
people aren’t in that position yet. The way
I used to de-stress was by playing sports,
specifically football or soccer. I found that
even at my darkest times, when I went
onto that football pitch, I just forgot
about everything other than chasing
this spherical object around the pitch
and occasionally kicking it, and even
sometimes in the right direction. I guess
that sums up life really. Keep trying and
you will find yourself going in the right
direction eventually, just with a few
hiccups on the way. But, as with hiccups,
you eventually get over them.
Thank you for the interview.
Interview for POSITIV Business & Style
prepared by Tadeáš Goryczka
Cabinet of Architecture (Kabinet
architekturry.)
an independent platform for architecture,
design, and art
“
Either way, it is that
connecon with another
human being that I nd so
important and sasfying.
”
Počátky instalace
v připravovaném Jane
McAdam Freud Museum |
The beginnings of the installaon
at the upcoming Jane McAdam
Freud Museum