Charmion von Wiegand : expanding modernism
(Book)

"Addendum: Due to the global pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the exhibition 'Charmion von Wiegand. Expanding Modernism' could not open as planned. It is scheduled to take place in 2023"--Page 4.

Includes bibliographical references.

"A generously illustrated book on the American artist Charmion von Wiegand whose oeuvre is a vital contribution to the history of modern and abstract art. Charmion von Wiegand started painting figuratively in 1926, when she received encouragement from her friend and painter, Joseph Stella. After being hired as an American reporter based in Soviet Moscow from 1929 to 1932, von Wiegand established herself as a preeminent art critic who embraced progressive ideas. She moved back to New York City in 1932 and became immersed in the avant-garde movement. Von Wiegand developed a close circle of friends including Hans Richter, Carl Holty, and John Graham. In 1941, when she met and befriended Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, she changed her painting style completely and was finally considered an artist in her own right. Highly influenced by his work, von Wiegand became interested in combining abstraction, Theosophy, and Eastern religions including her adoptive religion, Buddhism. The result was modern geometric abstract paintings that were imbued with Eastern imagery. This comprehensive volume on von Wiegand showcases gloriously illustrated works from all phases of her career. It also contains insightful essays and an array of previously unpublished material from the artist's archives, including correspondence with Mondrian." --,Provided by publisher.

Charmion von Wiegand (1896-1983) was an American journalist, art critic, and painter. Although largely unknown today, she won international acclaim beginning in the 1950s for paintings and collages in which she combined Far Eastern iconography with geometric abstraction. As Haema Sivanesan describes in this publication, Charmion von Wiegand developed a visual language for a "transcultural, modern Buddhism." Yet, it was as an art critic and member of New York's literary circles in the 1920s that she initially made a name for herself. It was in this capacity that she first met Piet Mondrian. Von Wiegand's engagement with Mondrian's transcendental, geometrically abstract art prepared the ground for her own work. These colorful compositions inspired by her personal spiritual practices continue to fascinate new generations. This comprehensive monograph, richly illustrated, with never-before-seen primary documents and new research, lays the foundation for re-examing the legacy of one of the 20th-century's most open and inquisitive minds.

Text in English, with translations from the German.

Published on the occasion of an exhibition of the same name originally planned for September 12, 2020-January 10, 2021 at the Kunstmuseum Basel and is scheduled to take place in 2023.