Elsie Cohen
- Artist: Ronald Moody
- Date: 1934-1936
- Medium: bronze
- Dimensions: 13 3/4 in. x 8 1/4 in. (350 mm x 210 mm) overall
- Portrays: Elsie Cohen (Elsa Cohn)
- Museum: The National Portrait Gallery
- Collection record: The National Portrait Gallery website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
In this bronze bust, sculptor Ronald Moody captured Elsie Cohen at the height of her career managing the Academy Cinema on Oxford Street. The statue is about 14 inches tall and just over eight inches wide—a small but powerful representation that lets you see the subtle details in her profile.
Moody used bronze to give the face a warm patina, highlighting her expressive eyes and the confident smile she wore while introducing foreign films to London audiences. Elsie Cohen—born Elsa Cohn in 1895—was not only a cinema manager; she also wrote as journalist and critic. Her work at the Academy made it one of Britain’s most celebrated art‑house cinemas, and its success encouraged other venues to bring subtitled foreign films into Britain.
The bust sits neatly on the floor, allowing you to admire her coiffure and the drape of her dress from a comfortable angle.
See it in person
Elsie Cohen is in the collection of The National Portrait Gallery at St Martin's Place, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
