Sculptor and medallist. Born Frankfurt, Germany.
From the very informative West Hampstead Life: "Fritz was fourteen when he began an apprenticeship in a workshop specializing in decorative sculpture and mouldings. In 1914 he won a scholarship to the Frankfurt Art School but was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army when WWI broke out. He was wounded and captured by the Russians in 1915 and sent to a Siberian prisoner-of-war camp. This terrible experience provided the inspiration for much of his later work. Kormis escaped from the camp and returned to Frankfurt about 1920 where he earned his living as a portrait sculptor. He married Rachel in 1924. As a Jew, Kormis was no longer allowed to work once Hitler came to power in 1933, so he and Rachel went to the Netherlands and then to England in 1934. Here Fritz anglicised his name to Fred."
He lived and worked at a few West Hampstead / Kilburn addresses before 1944 when he settled at 3b Greville Place, where he stayed until his death in 1986. In 1940 his studio was bombed and the bulk of his work up to that time was lost.
Rachel Kormis (née Sender) died in December 1971 and Fred died 1986, still living and working at Greville Place. The couple were buried in adjacent graves at Bushey Cemetery.
Information also from the excellent St John's Wood Memories.
