SCHOTZ, BENNO

SCHOTZ, BENNO (1891–1984), British sculptor. Schotz was born in Estonia, the son of a watchmaker, and at the age of 20 joined his brother at Glasgow University. He became a naturalized British subject in 1930. In the 1920s he exhibited at the Royal Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts and other venues in Scotland and England. From 1938 to 1960 he was head of the Sculpture Department at Glasgow School of Art. Influenced by Epstein, Schotz established himself with a series of portraits of distinguished Scotsmen. He also made portraits of famous Jews: Herzl, Sholem Asch, Lord Samuel, and Ben-Gurion. Schotz's deep Jewish feelings are reflected in a series of more experimental works, such as The Prophet (1957). The Catholic Church in Scotland commissioned from him monumental decorations for new churches. Schotz is regarded as one of the most important Scottish sculptors of the 20th century and is sometimes known as the "Scottish Epstein." He was buried in Jerusalem. Schotz wrote an autobiography, Bronze In My Blood: The Memoirs of Benno Schotz (1981). -ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: ODNB online. (Charles Samuel Spencer)