JOHN VON WICHT German / American, 1988-1970 Black Abstract, 1960 Mixed media on paper. Artwork is the top portion of a personal letter art critic to Mr. Bennett Schiff; it is dated 1960. Envelope is included in the lot. Framed. Not examined out of frame. Letter: 10.5 x 8 inches; frame: 13 x 11 inches. $350-450
ARTIST PROFILE; John von Wicht (3 February 1888 – 22 January 1970) was a German-born American painter, muralist, and master of stained glass who became a prominent figure in the New York avant-garde. After studying in Darmstadt and Berlin, he immigrated to the United States in 1923, fleeing the economic instability of post-war Germany. Initially working as a craftsman in lithography and mosaics, he eventually joined the WPA Federal Art Project, where he collaborated with Stuart Davis and Byron Browne on landmark murals like those for radio station WNYC. Von Wicht’s style evolved from structured geometric abstractions influenced by Kandinsky and Mondrian to a more fluid, lyrical expressionism later in his career. His long-standing residency at the MacDowell Colony and his service as a supply barge captain in New York Harbor during World War II deeply influenced his work, introducing nautical themes and a vibrant, "musical" sense of space. A founding member of the American Abstract Artists, his work is held in major collections including MoMA, the Whitney Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
