Rediscovering Hans Feibusch: A Modern Master of Mural Art
"To stand before an empty wall as in a trance… to let shapes cloudily emerge, to draw scenes and figures, to let light and dark rush out of the surface, to make them move outward or recede into the depths, this was bliss." — Hans Feibusch on mural painting
Lot 63: Hans Feibusch, Study for Britain Can Make It. Sold for £1,250 including Buyer's Premium.
Hans Feibusch arrived in Britain in 1933, fleeing the Nazi regime. Like many émigré artists of the time, his contribution to the British art scene was profound and far-reaching. Among his greatest legacies are the post-war murals that still adorn public buildings and places of worship across the UK. A highlight of his mural work is the Altarpiece at St John’s Church, Waterloo, created for the Festival of Britain in 1951.
Chiswick Auctions proudly presented a group of Feibusch works in our July Modern & Post-War British Art sale. Proceeds from lots 61–69 supported the restoration of the Altarpiece at St John’s, reaffirming his lasting cultural impact.
In London, Feibusch worked in the Studio of Sir Edwin Landseer (1802-1873) at St. John's Wood and painted a beautiful view of the rooftops around. 
Lot 66: Hans Feibusch, View from the studio. Sold for £1625, including Buyer's Premium.
From Germany to St John’s Wood
Feibusch’s London years began in the studio of Sir Edwin Landseer at St John’s Wood, where he painted a vivid View from the Studio (Lot 66, sold for £1,625 including Buyer’s Premium). His themes often circled nature, mythology and religion. A German Jew, Feibusch was among the artists branded "degenerate" by the Nazis. Like Chagall, Kandinsky and Kokoschka, his work was banned and destroyed.
After relocating to London, he joined the London Group, connecting with artists like David Bomberg and Jacob Epstein. His first British commission came in 1938 through architect Maxwell Fry: a mural titled Footwashing for a Methodist Chapel in Colliers Wood.
Wartime and Spiritual Expression
During the Second World War, Feibusch worked primarily in oil and gouache. Bomb damage near St Paul’s (Lot 64, sold for £625) is a moving record of wartime London. His approach stood apart from the dominant styles of the time – Abstraction and Social Realism. Rather than chaos or formal harmony, Feibusch sought spiritual direction through art.
Though born Jewish, Feibusch converted to Christianity, a path he followed for twenty years before formally leaving the Church of England in 1992. His later years saw a return to a more inclusive form of spirituality. This openness is reflected in works like St John the Baptist (Lot 62, sold for £1,500), where he used luminous colour pairings to evoke depth and emotion.
Lot 64: Hans Feibusch, Bomb damage near St. Paul's, London. Sold for £625 including Buyer's Premium.
Colour, Myth and Graphic Art
Known for his radiant palette, Feibusch drew influence from the Fauvists, whose bold use of colour and simplified form he deeply admired. Apollo and Daphne (Lot 65, sold for £1,500) and Two Wolves (Lot 67, sold for £625) illustrate his early exploration of line and colour as sculptural tools.
His commercial work was equally prolific. He designed posters for Shell, the Royal Academy and London Underground – including Study for a Royal Academy Exhibition poster (Lot 68, sold for £1,125) and Study for a poster for the London Underground (Lot 69, sold for £875). These commissions placed him in the company of artists like Paul Nash, John Piper and Graham Sutherland.
Lot 68: Hans Feibusch, Study for a Royal Academy Exhibition poster. Sold for £1,125 including Buyer's Premium
Lot 69: Hans Feibusch, Study for a poster for the London Underground. Sold for £875 including Buyer's Premium.
Britain Can Make It
Post-war Britain required not just reconstruction but renewed optimism. The 1946 ‘Britain Can Make It’ exhibition at the V&A was designed to showcase high-quality design and industry. Feibusch’s mural for the Tea Pavilion exemplified this vision. Study for Britain Can Make It (Lot 63, sold for £1,250) features a classical scene with a satyr and muses, filled with colour and symmetry, evoking hope and creativity.
In 1947, Feibusch published his influential book Mural Painting, expressing hope for a national revival in public art. He wrote:
“We are on the outset of a new building era; tremendous tasks are to be undertaken… the hopes for a great art to rise up again are higher than they have been for the last 150 years.”
His work – lyrical, rhythmical and emotionally rich – helped to realise that vision.
Celebrating a Modern British Muralist
With over forty murals in churches, synagogues and civic buildings, Hans Feibusch’s output remains one of the most significant in modern British art history. His work embodies a unique synthesis of European modernism, spiritual reflection and bold expression.
Lot 63: Hans Feibusch, Study for Britain Can Make It, detail from the reverse. Sold for £1,250 including Buyer's Premium
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