Online-Event: Remembering Heinz Henghes

On October 28, the British Dunera Interest Group, in collaboration with the Association of Jewish Refugees, is hosting an online lecture in memory of Dunera Boy and sculptor Heinz Henghes. The event “is of interest to anyone who would like to learn more about the history of the Dunera, as well as anyone interested in art,” according to the invitation.

Ian Henghes, son of Heinz Henghes, will provide insights into his father’s internment in Australia during the war and trace his life and connections to other interned artists. He highlights friendships such as those with Hein Heckroth and memories preserved by Klaus Friedeberger, placing these encounters in the larger context of surrealism, abstraction, and the Bauhaus. In doing so, he will show how the creative exchange in the camp shaped the lasting legacy of the Dunera artists.

Brief biographical information about Heinz Henghes

Heinz Henghes was born Gustav Heinrich Clusmann in Hamburg on August 20, 1906. His father was Protestant and his mother was of Jewish descent. However, he was raised as a Protestant. At the age of 17, he went to the USA and came into contact with artists. This had a profound influence on him and he began to make a name for himself as a sculptor and surrealist. From 1933, he lived in Italy, and in 1937, he set up a studio in London. In Germany, he would have faced persecution due to his status as a “half-Jew.”

Because his application for a US visa, like many others from Nazi persecutees, was ignored, the British considered him German. Despite being classified as a Category C refugee, he was interned and deported to Australia on the Dunera. In Camp 7 near Hay, he was housed in Hut 25 together with stage designer Hein Heckroth, among others, and became acquainted with other interned artists. He was allowed to leave Australia in June 1941. In 1947, he obtained British citizenship, and his name change to Heinz Henghes was approved in 1952.

His artistic work took him all over Europe. His oeuvre also includes poems and paintings. To this day, there are regular exhibitions of his works.

Heinz Henghes died on December 20, 1975, in Bordeaux.

Registration: for the event:
The online lecture will take place on October 28, 2025, at 7 p.m. (UK time). To participate via Zoom, Dunera IG asks that you sign up for its newsletter.

Heinz Henghes, 1974. Photo: Ian Henghes (Wikipedia).

More about Heinz Henghes and his work:

Homepage Heinz Henghes

Biography

An article about Heinz Henghes’ internment, the voyage of the Dunera, and his time in Australia.