Our archive is housed in the Miners Welfare Hall in Ystradgynlais.
In addition to the collection of Hermans work we also have books, media information, legacy documentation about the foundation, work by other artists and by participants of out schools projects.
The archive is constantly developing but remains tru to our four mail pillars- Josef Herman and his life and work, Human rights, the arts and Education.
If you want to visit the archive please e-mail the foundation at info@josefhermanfoundation.org
Other Artists in our collection
The collection also includes donated work from other artists contemporary with Herman, including:
Karel Lek and Joan Baker.
Our collection is constantly growing and we are proud of our engagement with the arts and to be located in Ystradgynlais in the Swansea Valley.
Karel Lek
Lek visited the Foundation in 2018 where art historian Paul Joyner was in conversation with artist Karel Lek, who at nearly 90 recounted the story of how he and his Jewish family fled the Nazis before arriving in north Wales. During his talk Lek made some drawings that are now in our collection.
Making Art with Schools
As a result of our extensive Schools Project programme over many years and more recently collaborating with Swansea College of Art, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, a series of artist residencies have worked primary and secondary schools, we also have a children’s collection of art.
Working with the Curwen Press – resident artists
As well as Josef Herman originals and limited edition prints, our collection also features work undertaken in artist residency projects with Curwen Press, one of the print studios that Herman worked with. We have so far had two artists John Abell in 2012 and Hilary Powell in 2016.
John Abell Resident artist 2012
“Here are a few pictures of my residency at the Curwen, the only specialist artists lithographic studio in Britain. The equipment was amazing, I felt as though the way I am used to printing was seriously dark ages. Barbarian techniques! My assistants Catherine Ade and Guy Allen were amazing. Guys being trained up to be a maestro printer, I was the first artist he had worked with and it was a pleasure. My last two days I worked with Mary Dalton, an absolute master and we had an extremely close collaboration. I must work with her again! I could not get over sharing a toilet with a Kitaj lithograph and seeing Henry Moore’s on the drying racks”. ABELL
John Abell BlogJohn Abell's Lithographs
Hilary Powell Farewell Rock 2016
This project reconnected with Welsh roots through being awarded the Josef Herman Foundation Cymru Studio Residency at London’s Curwen studio specializing in lithography. The remit was to take inspiration from the work of Josef Herman… his ‘Notes from a Welsh Diary’ became a starting point to examine the very different contemporary landscape of industrial decline and recovery. The mission was to find miners leading to a tour of working men’s clubs, welfare halls and CISWO (Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation) coffee mornings, meeting people whose lives have been formed and scarred by this fossil fuel.
Hilary Powell Farewell RockHilary Powell Farewell Rock 2016
