Robert Lee witnessed the horrific bombing of Dresden and it remained a lifelong
influence on his work. In 1996/97 he famously produced ‘An Angel for Dresden’ to
be hung in the Frauenkirche.
“This work is a memorial piece in collaboration with Dr. Alan
Russell, Chairman of the Dresden Trust, as a contribution to the
International Art/Craft collection to be assembled in the Crypt
of the Frauenkirche. The Angel is carved in lime wood,
painted and distressed, and aims to
express the sorrow and suffering
of the survivors that I witnessed
painfully struggling from the city
on the early morning of the 14th of
February 1945, St. Valentines Day,
which was also Ash Wednesday, most
aptly, on that horrific occasion. It is also a
tribute to the City of Dresden, a unique
architectural centre of European culture
that had many English residents in its historic past of the 18th
and 19th centuries. It is my personal tribute in gratitude for the architectural re-
education the city provided and my respect for the Saxon people with whom we
shared the pain and sorrow of those last months of the Third Reich.” Robert H. Lee
Robert Lee was awarded a medal of honour from the people of Dresden in
appreciation of his gift of ‘An Angel’ to the Frauenkirche. The medal was collected in
Dresden and accepted on his behalf by his wife Thelma and daughters Vanessa,
Joanna and Saskia.
