The Addison Rowe Gallery will present the artistic legacy of the extremely talented American abstract artist Werner Drewes (1899-1985). Highlighting paintings from the early period of his career, as well as, works by related geometric abstract artists, the exhibition explores his influence on Geometric Abstraction and the American Abstract movement throughout the 20th Century.
SANTA FE, NM, September 15, 2023 – October 27, 2023
Werner Drewes was born in Canig, Germany, an area that is now in Poland. Drewes was exposed to the radical principals taught at the Bauhaus, in Weimar, which shaped his artistic expression throughout his life. The movement is associated with artistic compositions of abstraction, geometric forms, and angular concepts. Many of the artists associated with the movement were Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger, Josef Albers, and Laszlo Moholy-Nagy. Drewes was one of the first Bauhaus artists to move to the United States in the 1930s.
His paintings express and explore the emotional impact of abstraction. His use of line, color and interchangeable geometric forms create highly energized compositions. He uses diagonal lines that bisect segments or circular forms and acute angles to add tension to his compositions. These details often create the feel of flashing light or prismatic effects to his shapes.
Werner Drewes was a founding member in the creation of the American Abstract Artists group in 1936. The AAA provided discussion, debate and opportunities to exhibit abstract art, which was groundbreaking at the time, and is the essence for the acceptance of non-objective art in the United States. Works by fellow AAA member, Charles Green Shaw, will be part of this exhibition as well as other important post WWII abstract artists who moved Drewes’ concepts forward.
Herbert Reynolds Kniffin, "T.C.L." of the Times called Drewes "an artist of promise" wrote of his "dynamic quality, an apparent fluency and economy of means," and said "he paints with sureness and vigor, with suggestion rather than in detail." (Wikipedia)
Drewes's 1939 exhibition at the Artists' Gallery attracted the notice of New York critics. Jerome Klein in the New York Post said "he handles the vocabulary of 'non-objective' art with the sophistication and assurance of a mature artist who is particularly adept in color relations. In fact, there is hardly a spot where his harmony is off the track. And a wide gamut is run from the pale tone of 'Wintry' to the vivid contrasts of 'In the Blue Space.’ (Jerome Klein (1939-04-08). “Stage is Theme of Art Exhibit at Seligman’s.” New York Post. P. X124.
“This show represents my love of abstraction and geometric compositions from the early concepts developed by the artists of the Bauhaus as it traveled to Post WWII; artists exploring pure color and form. The theories and concepts developed by those early artists has grown and changed over time and the artists have continued to show how dynamic and exciting abstract art can be.” -Victoria Addison, Addison Rowe Gallery
Drewes retired in 1965 and moved to Reston, Virginia, where he remained active as an artist until his death in 1985. He enjoyed great recognition for his work in these later years. In 1984 a large retrospective at the Smithsonian American Art Museum was devoted entirely to his printmaking. A prolific printmaker, Drewes produced during his lifetime some 732 fine prints, including 269 etchings and drypoints, 30 lithographs, 14 celloprints, a lone silkscreen, and 418 woodcuts, of which 255 were in color ("Werner Drewes: An Exhibition of His Color Woodcuts." Georgetown University Library. Retrieved 2014-11-26.)
Addison Rowe Gallery is a leader in the field of American Art, exhibiting innovative and important works by American and Southwest Modernists
The gallery exhibits artwork by important New York, Chicago, and Bay Area artists who came to New Mexico. They became a vital part of the vibrant Santa Fe and Taos art communities spanning from the 1920s to post WWII
Addison Rowe Gallery is always looking to buy works of art from the Transcendental Painting Group, Taos Society of Artists, the Stieglitz Circle, American Abstract and Geometric Modern artists. The gallery represents the estates of Raymond Jonson, Lawrence Calcagno, and William Lumpkins.
