Charmion Von Wiegand
Encyclopedia
Charmion von Wiegand was an American
journalist, abstract painter, and art critic. She was the daughter of Inez Royce and Karl Henry von Wiegand, the German-born journalist.
Von Wiegand was born in Chicago
and grew up in Arizona
, San Francisco, and Berlin
, where as a teenager she lived for three years. When she returned to the United States, she attended Barnard College
for a year and then transferred to Columbia University
to study journalism, theater, and art history. She did not complete her bachelors degree and thought she may become a playwright; at this time she also began to paint landscapes.
In 1929, she traveled to Moscow
where she became a correspondent for the Universal Service of the Hearst Press
. She returned to the New York in 1932 and married communist activist and writer Joseph Freeman
the same year or in 1934. She continued her work as an art critic, and in spring 1941 interviewed the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian
. She became close friends with Mondrian, who influenced her to start creating abstract art
. She became an associate member of the American Abstract Artists
in 1941, exhibiting with them from 1948.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist, abstract painter, and art critic. She was the daughter of Inez Royce and Karl Henry von Wiegand, the German-born journalist.
Von Wiegand was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and grew up in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, San Francisco, and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, where as a teenager she lived for three years. When she returned to the United States, she attended Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
for a year and then transferred to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
to study journalism, theater, and art history. She did not complete her bachelors degree and thought she may become a playwright; at this time she also began to paint landscapes.
In 1929, she traveled to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
where she became a correspondent for the Universal Service of the Hearst Press
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
. She returned to the New York in 1932 and married communist activist and writer Joseph Freeman
Joseph Freeman (writer)
Joseph "Joe" Freeman was an American writer and magazine editor. He is best remembered as a contributor and editor to The New Masses, a literary and artistic magazine closely associated with the Communist Party USA, and as a founding editor of the magazine Partisan Review.-Early years:Joseph...
the same year or in 1934. She continued her work as an art critic, and in spring 1941 interviewed the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian
Piet Mondrian
Pieter Cornelis "Piet" Mondriaan, after 1906 Mondrian , was a Dutch painter.He was an important contributor to the De Stijl art movement and group, which was founded by Theo van Doesburg. He evolved a non-representational form which he termed Neo-Plasticism...
. She became close friends with Mondrian, who influenced her to start creating abstract art
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
. She became an associate member of the American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists
American Abstract Artists was formed in 1936 in New York City, to promote and foster public understanding of abstract art. American Abstract Artists exhibitions, publications, and lectures helped to establish the organization as a major forum for the exchange and discussion of ideas, and for...
in 1941, exhibiting with them from 1948.
Further reading
- Back to the Future: Alfred Jensen, Charmion von Wiegand, Simon Gouverneur, and the Cosmic Conversation, exhibition catalogue. Loyola University Chicago, 2009. ISBN 0-9815-8351-2