Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 3

Werner Drewes
Pointed Shapes and Black Half Moon

1935

About the Item

Werner Drewes, 'Pointed Shapes and Black Half Moon', etching, 1935, edition 20, Rose l.198. Signed, dated, and numbered 'I-XX' in pencil. A fine, rich impression, in warm black ink, with full margins (1 1/2 to 2 3/8 inches), on cream wove paper, in excellent condition. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed. Featured on page 69 as a full-page illustration in 'Drewes, A Catalog Raisonné of His Prints', Ingrid Rose, 1984. Reproduced in 'American Master Prints from the Betty and Douglas Duffy Collection', the Trust for Museum Exhibitions, Washington, D.C., 1987. Impressions of this work are in permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art (Washington) and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Painter, printmaker, and art teacher, Werner Drewes (1899–1985) was among the founding fathers of American abstraction. A student at the famed Bauhaus in the 1920s, he studied under Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, and Wassily Kandinsky. Following his emigration to the United States in 1930, he was instrumental in introducing modernist Bauhaus concepts and esthetics to America. Drewes’ boldly dynamic and emotionally expressive work, which encompassed both nonobjective and figurative genres, brought him critical acclaim and numerous gallery and institutional exhibitions throughout his artistic career. Drewes believed that art provided an avenue to understanding the mysteries of life: “ What is the mystery underlying the Architecture of our Universe? What are the laws which create the pattern of the frost which forms on our windows? What causes the stars to stay in their orbit? What is it which creates joy and sorrow within us?... All these are problems belonging to the world we live in and which should concern the artist, as well as those problems of sunlight or the growth of a tree. But art is also a world with its own laws, whether they underlie a painting of realistic or abstract forms. To create new universes within these laws and to fill them with the experiences of our life is our task. When they convincingly reflect the wisdom or struggle of the soul, a work of art is born.” Drewes graphic work is held in numerous major museums worldwide, including: Bauhaus-Archiv (Germany), Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Brooklyn Museum, Harvard University Art Museums, Art Institute of Chicago, Wissenschaftliche-Kulturelles Zentrum (Bauhaus Dessau, Germany), Israel Museum Collection (Jerusalem), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, Staastsgalerie Stuttgart (Germany), Whitney Museum of Art.
  • Creator:
    Werner Drewes (1899-1985, American)
  • Creation Year:
    1935
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 6 in (15.24 cm)Width: 8.88 in (22.56 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Myrtle Beach, SC
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 1004001stDibs: LU53233865232

More From This Seller

View All
'Da - Da I' — German Expressionism, Rare
By Lyonel Feininger
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Lyonel Feininger, 'Da-Da I' also titled by the artist 'Der Abgott' (The Idol), woodcut, 1918, a proof impression. Prasse W91. Signed in pencil and annotated '1876', the artist’s inv...
Category

1920s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Woodcut

'Masken (Masks)' — German Expressionism, Bauhaus
By Lyonel Feininger
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Lyonel Feininger, 'Masken (Masks)' also 'Carnival Masks', woodcut, 1920, proofs only. Prasse W193. Signed and titled in pencil. Annotated '1973', the artist’s inventory number. A fin...
Category

1920s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Twin Formation in Gray
By Werner Drewes
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Twin Formation in Gray, color woodcut, 1982, edition 30, Rose III.400. Signed, dated and numbered I7/XXX in pencil, annotated 415 and titled in the bottom left sheet edge. A fine impression with fresh, rich colors, on heavy off-white Japan paper; the full sheet with wide margins (1 3/4 to 3 1/4 inches), in good condition. Printed in black, dark gray, medium gray, yellow/orange, and lemon yellow. Matted to museum standards, unframed. An impression of this work is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. ABOUT THE ARTIST Painter, printmaker, and art teacher, Werner Drewes (1899–1985) was among the founding fathers of American abstraction. A student at the famed Bauhaus in the 1920s, he studied under Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy and Wassily Kandinsky. Following his emigration to the United States in 1930, he was instrumental in introducing modernist Bauhaus concepts and esthetics to America. Drewes’ boldly dynamic and emotionally expressive work, which encompassed both non-objective and figurative genres, brought him critical acclaim and numerous gallery and institutional exhibitions throughout his artistic career. Drewes' graphic work can be found in most major American art museums including, the Ackland Art Museum, The Art Institute of Chicago, Bauhaus Archive...
Category

Late 20th Century Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Woodcut

Small Forms On Crossing Bands
By Werner Drewes
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Werner Drewes, 'Small Forms on Crossing Bands', drypoint and roulette, 1935, edition 20, Rose 1.197. Signed in pencil. A fine, rich impression, in warm black ink, on cream wove paper...
Category

1930s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Drypoint

'Flight to Tomorrow' — Mid-Century American Modernism — Atelier 17
By Minna Citron
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Minna Citron, 'Flight to Tomorrow', aquatint and engraving, edition unknown but small, 1948. Signed, titled, dated, and annotated 'engr & aqua' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression with selectively wiped plate tone, on heavy cream wove paper, the full sheet with margins (1 3/4 to 3 1/2 inches), in excellent condition. Image size 6 7/8 x 8 7/16 inches (175 x 214 mm); sheet size 11 1/8 x 14 7/8 inches (283 x 378 mm). Matted to museum standards, unframed. Literature: The Women of Atelier 17, Modernist Printmaking in MidCentury New York, Christina Weyl, Yale University Press, 2019, p. 186. Collections: Davis Museum (Wellesley), Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Museum Consortium, Harvard Art Museums, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Palmer Museum of Art (Penn State...
Category

1940s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Engraving, Aquatint

'Green Shade' — Mid-century Modernism, Abstract Expressionism, Atelier 17
By Stanley William Hayter
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Stanley William Hayter, 'Green Shade', color etching and scraper, 1963, edition 50, (only 39 printed), B&M 278. Signed, titled, dated, and numbered '1/50' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked, luminous impression, with fresh, vivid colors, on Barcham Green textured cream wove paper; the full sheet with margins (2 3/16 to 3 1/4 inches), in excellent condition. Printed: intaglio black-green, contact lumogen yellow, soft roller phthalo green. Scarce. Image size 15 7/16 x 11 5/8 inches (392 x 295 mm); sheet size 21 1/8 x 16 inches (537 x 406 mm). Matted to museum standards (unframed). Collection: The British Museum ABOUT THE ARTIST Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988) was a British painter and printmaker associated in the 1930s with Surrealism and from 1940 onward with Abstract Expressionism. Regarded as one of the most significant printmakers of the 20th century, Hayter founded the legendary Atelier 17...
Category

1960s Abstract Expressionist Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

You May Also Like

Never Ending Nicht Endend - Bauhaus German
By Paul Klee
Located in London, GB
This etching is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Klee" at the lower right margin. It is dated in pencil ‘1930’ in the lower left margin. It is also inscribed ‘K 10’ in pencil ne...
Category

1930s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Etching

Joost Schmidt-Bauhaus Exhibition-1995- Vintage
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Schmidt's 1923 poster for the Bauhaus Exhibition is celebrated for its innovative use of geometric forms and typographic elements, reflecting the school's avant-garde approach to des...
Category

Mid-20th Century Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Offset

Mid-Century Shapes IV, White and Blue Abstract Floating Shapes, Unique Cyanotype
By Kind of Cyan
Located in Barcelona, ES
This is an exclusive handprinted unique cyanotype that takes its inspiration from the mid-century modern shapes. It's made by layering paper cutouts and different exposures using uv-...
Category

2010s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Photographic Film, Emulsion, Watercolor, Photographic Paper, Monotype, P...

1969 Woodcut, Titled "Andalusian Sky" by Bauhaus Master Werner Drewes
By Werner Drewes
Located in Chicago, IL
A 1969 woodcut, titled "Andalusian Sky" by Bauhaus Master Werner Drewes. Signed and numbered in pencil. Edition: 21/XXX. An impression of this print is in the collection of the Sm...
Category

1960s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Paper, Woodcut

Framed Bauhaus Print by Herbert Bayer
By Herbert Bayer
Located in Long Island City, NY
A print from the CCA folio of Herbert Bayer published in 1965. Nicely framed. Untitled Herbert Bayer, Austrian (1900–1985) Date: 1964 (1965) Offset Lithograph Frame Size: 16.5 x 22 ...
Category

1960s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Offset

Tender Picture E, Bauhaus Print by Herbert Bayer
By Herbert Bayer
Located in Long Island City, NY
A print from the CCA folio of Herbert Bayer published in 1965. Nicely framed. Tender Picture E Herbert Bayer, Austrian (1900–1985) Date: 1928 (1965) Offset Lithograph Image Size: 9 ...
Category

1960s Bauhaus Abstract Prints

Materials

Offset

Recently Viewed

View All