VIENNA, Austria, Oct. 27, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dave Fox, 89, a Viennese-born artist now living in Southern California who was forced to flee Austria in 1938 due to the German annexation of the country, will return to Vienna 71 years later to exhibit his showcase, The Artwork of Dave Fox: From Augarten to Los Angeles, at Aktionsradius Wien's Center beginning November 3, 2009, through mid-December.
The Artwork of Dave Fox: From Augarten to Los Angeles includes work from Mr. Fox's earliest pieces from the late 1940s through to present day. The exhibition brings together all the pieces of his life and pays homage to the accomplishment of a man who stayed true to his vision to make sure his voice was heard and not silenced.
Mr. Fox grew up in Vienna's second district, Leopoldstadt. Once an area inhabited by thousands of Jewish people, the community was destroyed as a result of the events surrounding the Holocaust. Mr. Fox fled Austria and moved to Los Angeles where he began his art studies. Over the years, he has created a lifelong body of work with an emphasis in printmaking, though he also paints, draws and creates ceramics and jewelry. He is the father of Rabbi Karen L. Fox of the Wilshire Boulevard Temple, and Rabbi Steven A. Fox, Executive Vice President of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.
In his art, Mr. Fox returns to themes that reflect on his Jewish upbringing and a lifelong commitment to Judaism -- Shabbat, the Holocaust, the chestnut vendor and the fish seller. Other works that are symbolic of his life in Vienna show the streets and buildings of his youth, and the influence of theatre. Mr. Fox sees each of his works as stories; he says "mine are stories of people like you and me, skilled craftsmen, small business owners and retirees. I paint and draw the people who once in several years can afford to take a holiday cruise; people who take their children Sunday afternoons to museums, and folks who attend festivals, concerts and the theater."
Aktionsradius Wien is an association settled at the border between Vienna's 20th and 2nd district, known as the Mazzes-Insel (Matzah Island) since World War II, where a large part of the Jewish population lived until the takeover of the Nazi regime. Mr. Fox will appear at the exhibit on opening day to discuss his life and artwork.
For a conversation with Dave Fox, more information about the exhibit at Aktionsradius Wien, samples of his artwork or to book him for a showcase please contact Itay Engelman of Sommerfield Communications, Inc. at 212-255-8386 or itay@sommerfield.com.
About Dave Fox
Dave Fox has been a painter and printmaker for over 60 years, capturing the people and places in and around Los Angeles since the late 1940s. He was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1920 and fled the country in 1938 after the German Annexation. In 1939 he arrived in Los Angeles where he met his wife of 65 years, Senta, also a German refugee. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) with an emphasis in printmaking. Subjects for his artwork consist of landscapes and people. At nearly ninety-years of age, Dave paints everyday.