Werner Drewes

German-born Werner Drewes was considered one of the best printmakers of the 20th century. His early training as an artist was interrupted by World War I. He later said that the horrors of life at the front were only made tolerable by his sketchbook, a copy of Goethe's Faust, and a volume of Nietzsche. After the war, Drewes earned a living selling his woodcuts. In 1921, he enrolled in the famous school of modern art and design, the Bauhaus, where he studied with the great masters Paul Klee and Vasily Kandinsky. After a year of training, Drewes left for a five year sojourn around the world, primarily studying the works of the masters. After emigrating to the United States in 1930, he gradually built up a successful career as an artist, gaining entry into many major institutions and collections. Drewes also had a distinguished career as a teacher, with professorships at Columbia University, Brooklyn College, the University of Chicago, and Washington University in St. Louis. He lived in Point Pleasant, Bucks County from 1965-1972 and showcased his work at Phillips' Mill in New Hope.

Education and Training
Stuttgart School of Architecture, Stuttgart, Germany
Stuttgart School of Arts and Crafts, Stuttgart, Germany
The Bauhaus, Weimar and Dessau, Germany, intermittent study from 1921-1929

Teachers
Studied at the Bauhaus under Vasily Kandinsky, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Walter Gropius, Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
Worked and was affiliated with many artists including Ferdinand Leger, Piet Mondrian, Josef Albers, Yves Tanguy, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Guston, and Max Beckman
Influenced by Velằuez and El Greco

Connection to Bucks County
Drewes was a resident of Point Pleasant, Bucks County, from 1965 to 1972.

Colleagues
He showed his work at Phillips' Mill, and was one of the judges for the annual show in 1969.

Exhibitions
Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles, California
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
National Collection of Fine Arts, Washington, D.C.
National Museum of American Art, Washington, D.C.
An Evolving Legacy: Twenty Years of Collecting at the James A. Michener Art Museum, Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania, 2009-2010

Collections
Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York
Fogg Museum, Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts
National Gallery, Washington, D.C.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, Illinois
Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Michener Art Museum, Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Teaching Appointments
Instructor of Art, Columbia University, 1936-1939
Director, Graphic Art Project, US Federal Art Program, 1940-1941
Instructor, Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York, 1944
Instructor of Design, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, 1945
Instructor of Design and Director, School of Fine Arts, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1946-1965
Professor Emeritus, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1965