Sculptor, painter and writer, Sven Berlin was a controversial figure among the artists of St Ives in the 1940s and 1950s, who went
 onto build a totally new career in and around the New Forest. In 1953, he travelled with his second wife Juanita to the New Forest through Wiltshire and Dorset and arrived as Sven describe's in his book "Dromengro Man of the Road" at the green gates of the
"City of Shave Green" Sven captured the West Country and dialect perfectly together with swear words cusses and curses ,
they are all included just as they were spoken by old Benny Wells and his mum Prissy , Parno Smith and the Cooper family nothing
is left out! Which I think is wonderfull as it reflect's true life and is a true reflection of our past, and the character's that enriched our
live's.
 
Sven without knowing it captured a part of History ,as did his contemporary, Dominic Reeve , who visited Sven in the Forest with
little Marky, and was just starting his literary career.
Both authors captured for History the last Forest Romanies to have lived and ave their base in the Forest before being evicted by the Authorities. He captured an important part of our History and has brought to life the old folki and families with their times of happiness and of sadness too.He was a wonderfull painter and sculptor and captured many of the Forest Gypsie's on canvas and has had over 40 one man exhibitions all over the country including one in 1956 at the Bladon Gallery near Andover, which many of the local Forest Gypsies attended along with Augustsus John another friend of the Gypsie's. After his death these paintings were shown again in Lymington at St. Barbe's Museum and Gallery in 2003.

I was fortunate enough to speak to Sven's widow Julia Berlin recently and she has kindly given me permission to use some of
Sven's drawing's for this site and also a small book I am writing about the Forest Gypsie's and other local Dorset and Wilshire Traveller's. While we were chatting about the various folk in the Forest ,I asked Julia Berlin if she knew of the painting of  
Lavinia "Luvvie" Cooper, as I believed Augustus John bought it "Luvvie" seemed to be very fondly thought of by both Sven and Augustus and by all who knew her,she told me she believed it now hangs in a Portugese Museum! It would be nice to find it. Below
are Sven Berlin's books and his line drawing of Benny Wells who Sven had met years earlier at Stonehenge in Salisbury, and
later in the Forest .
With kind permission from Julia Berlin. 
  Sven Berlin (Books are published by Finishing Publications Ltd)
 

 (BENNY WELLS FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION)
 

 

SVEN BERLIN