Helen Schou (1905–2006)
C.L. David, 1938
Bronze

C. L. David was about 60 years old when Helen Schou created this portrait bust of him. It was presumably commissioned by the company, De Forenede Vagtselskaber, of which C.L. David was chairman of the board.

In this portrait, executed in a classic bust format, Helen Schou displays a keen eye for the physical features of what was by this time an elderly man, such as the bald head, the pronounced furrows, the bags under the eyes and the prominent nose. C.L David’s direct gaze imbues the bust with a strong presence as well as a sober seriousness emphasised by the dark bronze.

Being among the popular sculptors of the time, Helen Schou created several portrait busts of luminaries from the realms of culture and commerce in the years 1935 to 1940. Furthermore, C.L. David and the sculptor also had personal connections, sharing a number of mutual acquaintances. Helen Schou knew C.L. David’s aunt, the artist Agnes Lunn (1850-1941) well; they were friends, they travelled together, and Agnes Lunn was the one who, in 1923, introduced Helen Schou to Anne Marie Carl Nielsen (1863–1945), whose pupil she would subsequently become for four years. In addition, Helen Schou was married to the director of C. Schou’s Fabriker, a company on whose board C.L. David also held a prominent seat.

The preliminary plaster cast for the portrait bust came into The David Collection’s possession after Helen Schou’s death in 2006. A few other works and a range of memorabilia also entered the museum’s collection, including a number of photographs of C.L. David. They suggest that he presumably did not sit for Helen Schou, but that she used photographs as references instead.