Discovery of forgotten treasure at Coventry church
As custodians of important heritage church buildings we like to think that we have a handle on all there is to know about the treasures they hold. Sometimes we are pleasantly surprised and genuinely excited by a new discovery.
St Mark’s, a church in Swanswell in Coventry City Centre, has, since 1973, been closed for worship. It has however been used for other purposes since that time – most usefully as consulting rooms to supplement the Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital on the Stony Stanton Road.
Recently the Diocese have been considering the potential of St Mark’s for another use and in their explorations have uncovered the story of an important wall painting in a side chapel of St Mark’s. ‘Christ Surrounded by Angels’ was painted in 1963 by Hans Feibusch, a German-born artist whose work was condemned as degenerate by the Third Reich whilst he was living in England. To escape the holocaust he stayed here and established a new reputation as a muralist in Anglican churches. Much of his early work on canvas remained in Germany and was destroyed by the Fascist regime but the British murals remain as a legacy to his distinctive and bold style.
Sadly the mural in St Mark’s was only in place for ten years before the church was closed and as a result it has remained hidden. Only now that Hans Feibush’s work is being celebrated have we learned just how important this piece of art is. It is exciting to consider that he was working in St Mark’s as a contemporary of other artists at work in Coventry during the early 1960s – Piper, Sutherland, Spence and Epstein to name a few.
There is understandably real interest in this story and we feel that we must work out how to share the mural with others as widely as possible. Getting access to St Mark’s is not easy at present as the church building is not open to visitors, but we are working hard to make a plan over the next few weeks so that others can appreciate it and experience the power of the imagery for themselves. There may be enthusiastic individuals, for example, who are willing to volunteer to open up the church and we are taking time to identify who they are and work with them to ensure the future of this important piece of 20th century art.
See examples of Hans Feibush’s work and read about his long and extraordinary life
Photo by John Payne
