Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
American, 1914-2003
Once dubbed “the Grandfather of L.A. Modernism,” the Chicago-born Emerson Seville Woelffer was active as an innovative painter, collagist, and educator throughout his long and prolific career. A pioneering Abstract Expressionist, Woelffer’s brightly colored work with jagged forms reveals Cubist and Surrealist influences.
Coming of age in Chicago during the Great Depression, Woelffer appreciated the improvisational nature of jazz music, a sensibility he would later apply to painting through gestural variation, energetic strokes, and a rhythmic use of line. From 1935 to 1938, Woelffer, a high school dropout, studied at the Art Institute of Chicago while employed as a janitor, early evidence of his enduring work ethic.
He joined the Works Progress Administration arts program in 1938 as an easel painter, followed by a two-year stint as a topographical draftsman for the United States Air Force. The director of the Chicago Institute of Design, László Moholy-Nagy, invited Woelffer to join the faculty in 1942. His experiences there brought him into contact with the modernist idiom of the day, and his interactions with students caused him to re-examine his own practice.
He also exhibited in group shows at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, participated in the Whitney Museum Annual (1949) and won the Pauline Palmer Prize for painting at the Art Institute of Chicago (1948).
In 1949 Emerson Woelffer and his wife Dina, a fine art photographer, were invited by Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner to New York before they headed to Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. Exposure to Pre-Columbian art led Woelffer to incorporate totemic figures and vibrant colors into his abstract paintings.
In 1959 Woelffer joined the faculty at the Chouinard Art Institute (later the California Institute of the Arts) in Los Angeles, where he instructed notable emerging artists until 1973 and where he was instrumental in bringing Modernism to LA. Ed Ruscha was one of his students. In 1974, Woelffer was named chair of the art department at the Otis Art Institute (now the Otis School of Art and Design). His tenure lasted until his retirement in 1989, and he was widely admired for his interdisciplinary approach in the classroom. An endowed scholarship fund in his name provides support for promising young artists and designers. Suffering from macular degeneration, Woelffer switched to drawing with white crayon on black paper in his final years of artistic activity.
Emerson won a prestigious Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1967 and then went to wprk in Europe. Woelffer’s work is represented in the collections of such distinguished institutions as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art, among others.to
2
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
2
2
2
1
1
12
196
119
91
84
2
Artist: Emerson Woelffer
Abstract Form No. 1
By Emerson Woelffer
Located in Columbia, MO
EMERSON WOELFFER
Abstract Form No. 1
1979
Porcelain on wooden plinth
3.5 x 3.5 x 11.5 inches
Category
20th Century Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Abstract Form No. 2
By Emerson Woelffer
Located in Columbia, MO
EMERSON WOELFFER
Abstract Form No. 2
1979
Terra cotta on wooden plinth
3.5 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches
Category
20th Century Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood, Terracotta
Related Items
GALAXY ART – Celestial Wall Sculpture with Astronaut Figure on Lunar Relief
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
GALAXY ART is a mixed media wall sculpture by Vera Vizzi that fuses astronomy-inspired painting with tactile lunar relief. Created with foam clay, acrylic and enamel on a circular 30...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Enamel
$851 Sale Price
20% Off
H 0.79 in Dm 11.82 in
Light – Contemporary Surrealist Lunar Relief with Acrylic and Clay on Wood
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Light (Leggero) is a mixed media wall sculpture by Vera Vizzi combining modeling clay and acrylic paint on a circular fir wood support. This 30 cm Ø piece presents a textured lunar r...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Enamel
$851 Sale Price
20% Off
H 0.79 in Dm 11.82 in
Phase – Contemporary Wall Sculpture on Wood with Lunar Texture and Color Accents
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Phase is a contemporary wall sculpture by Vera Vizzi that merges cosmic topography with symbolic intervention. Executed in modeling clay and acrylic on a circular fir wood base (30 c...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Enamel
$851 Sale Price
20% Off
H 0.79 in Dm 11.82 in
"Enlighten" Teak Wood and Quartz Crystal Modern Organic Sculpture
Located in Las Vegas, NV
This sculptural piece brings together the grounding essence of Teak Wood and the high-vibrational energy of Lumerian Quartz Crystal. The crystal is believed to hold ancient knowledge...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
$3,680 Sale Price
20% Off
H 31 in W 13 in D 14 in
Close to Heart 2 - Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture Close to Heart 2
Limited edition of 12
Mediums: old pine, steel, acrylic hand painted, oil
CLOSE TO HEART - Collection
Working on the series I used a “wood with history”...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
$3,064
H 32.29 in Dm 8.67 in
"Inner World" Natural Citrine Geode, Mortar Wood Modern Organic Sculpture
Located in Las Vegas, NV
Inner World is the perfect blend of natural beauty and modern design. At its heart, the Natural Citrine Geode brings a burst of golden energy, symbolizing abundance and clarity. Surr...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
$5,500
H 25 in W 18 in D 10 in
Yasu - Burnt Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture YASU
Limited edition of 12
Mediums: burnt wood and brass
Discover the stunning artistry of Zlata Kornilova with this exquisite sculpture crafted from burnt wood using the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
$3,064
H 36.62 in Dm 9.85 in
"Guardian of Love" Selenite Cluster and Acacia Wood Modern Organic Sculpture
Located in Las Vegas, NV
The Guardian of Love is a striking blend of Selenite, Quartz Crystal, Acacia Wood, and a steel base, illuminated with LED lights, offering not only visual beauty but also profound he...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
$5,000
H 29 in W 25 in D 7 in
Close to Heart 1 - Wood sculpture by Zlata Kornilova
Located in Paris, FR
Sculpture Close to Heart
Limited edition of 12
Mediums: old pine, steel, acrylic hand painted, oil
CLOSE TO HEART - Collection
Working on the series I...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
$3,064
H 28.75 in Dm 13.39 in
Moon Relief with Yellow Measure Tape Abstract Surreal Mixed-Media Wall Sculpture
By Vera Vizzi
Located in FISTERRA, ES
Foam clay, acrylic and enamel on fir wood circular relief that combines lunar bas-relief with a measured, stitched yellow band; a mixed-media wall sculpture engaging lunar topography...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Enamel
$899 Sale Price
20% Off
H 1.58 in Dm 11.82 in
Orbit
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Jim Rattenbury’s work is of our time, yet it is filled with signs from other eras, both distant pasts and distant futures. He creates marks on his works that are accessible to childr...
Category
2010s Abstract Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
Untitled, Collage abstract expressionistic wooden collage, monochrome black
By Louise Nevelson
Located in Zug, CH
Nevelson’s compositions explore the relational possibilities of sculpture and space, summing up the objectification of the external world into a personal landscape. Although her prac...
Category
20th Century Abstract Expressionist Emerson Woelffer Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Wood
$26,028
H 77.17 in W 46.3 in D 2.64 in
Emerson Woelffer abstract sculptures for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Emerson Woelffer abstract sculptures available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Emerson Woelffer in wood, ceramic, terracotta and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the abstract style. Not every interior allows for large Emerson Woelffer abstract sculptures, so small editions measuring 4 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Varujan Boghosian, Robert Holmes, and Sally Hepler. Emerson Woelffer abstract sculptures prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $6,240 and tops out at $6,240, while the average work can sell for $6,240.