Description
The German actress and singer Anny Ahlers (1906–1933) came to London in 1932 to appear at His Majesty’s Theatre in the role of Jeanne in the musical comedy The Dubarry. Sir Merrik Burrell saw her perform and was moved to commission a half-length portrait in costume from de László. The artist found his subject so inspiring that he painted a full-length instead, giving him the opportunity to paint the expansive layers of fabric of her costume. Encouraged by Burrell’s words that “the picture of A.A. is a tribute of one artist to another” he painted one of the most successful full lengths of his career.
Frequently overworked, Anny Ahlers suffered from bouts of depression and often failed to appear for appointed sittings, which greatly irritated de László. On 14 March 1933, aged only twenty-six, she fell from the balcony of her London hotel room and died from a broken neck. The portrait was unfinished and de László explained how it was completed: “I have the dress, and Dreda sat for me. I was lucky in being able to finish the head, and her beautiful hands. She was a most delightful personality, and a born genius, and the world is the poorer for her death. I am afraid she had been overworked by one man whose name I do not wish to mention, who tried to make as much money out of her as possible.” Photographs in the artist’s archive show the portrait both in its unfinished and finished states. The emerald ring on Anny’s left hand was a present from Burrell.
The portrait was exhibited to great acclaim at the Knoedler Gallery that June with the title The Late Miss Anny Ahlers and coloured reproductions were sold in aid of the Artists’ General Benevolent Institution. The Daily Mail wrote that “The Liveliness of Mr de László’s rendering [is] a melancholy reminder of the fragility of life.” The star pointed out that “ever since the exhibition opened the portrait of poor Anny Ahlers has been the centre of an admiring group, and a bowl of Du Barry roses stands in front of it . De László waived his honorarium for the portrait.
