Ann Karesh

Ann Karesh (aka Anna) was born August 26, 1923 in Lichtenfels, Germany. She was immersed in art from a young age, studying painting while boarding in the early 1930’s at the Rosenberg School in Switzerland. She furthered her studies at London’s Willesden College and at the Hornsey School of Art.

Ann’s early education in Germany and Switzerland instilled a strong cultural connection to Europe that was present throughout her life. She frequently visited coastal Mediterranean regions seeking artistic inspiration. Her works reflect these landscapes; Greece, the French Riviera, and Israel. 

While living in London in 1942, Ann met her husband Karl Karesh, a US Army soldier who was stationed at a nearby airbase. They married in London in 1943 and returned to Charleston after the war. Ann’s parents and sister joined her in Charleston in 1950, residing for many years at 15 East Battery. 

Ann was a prolific artist, creating numerous painting and works of sculpture over her 50+ year career. Her art graces the walls of many Charleston homes, businesses, and private collections, as well as museums throughout the Southeast. Charlestonians of her generation may remember her studio and gallery at 1 Chalmers St. where she exhibited and sold her work for many years. 

Ann, a longstanding member of the Guild of SC Artists, was an original founding member of the Women’s Council of the Carolina Art Association, and was active at the Gibbes Museum. She won numerous painting and sculpture awards throughout her career.

Following the Bauhaus architecture she observed in her youth in Germany, Ann designed a modern home facing the marsh on Woodward Rd in the Moreland neighborhood of West Ashley where she raised her three children. Her home was filled with art, books, and culture. 

Ann exemplified the dignity and willpower of her generation, raised in a Jewish-German family displaced during World War II and forced to rebuild her life in a foreign country as an immigrant and refugee. Her paintings and sculptures immortalize her memory, spirit, and beauty. 

If you or someone in your family has one of her paintings or sculptures, please contact us using the form below.

We would love to keep track of how Ann’s art has found its way around the world. We are collecting images of her work and the paintings/sculptures themselves to preserve her art and memory.