William Wauer (1866-1962)

"Nell Walden" Oil on cardboard, 1923. Private Collection.

Wauer studied in Desden, Berlin and Munich before travelling to Rome in 1893. He lived in numerous locations during this period including New York, San Francisco, Vienna, Rome and Liepzig. He was a critic and editor in Dresden and later edited the magazine "Quickboorn" in Berlin. From 1900 onwards he turned his attention to theatre. He studied film and theatre throughout the decade and launched himself as a director with his 1913 film "Richard Wagner." As well as his huge artistic output in a variety of mediums and his written work, he directed over 25 films.

"Fancy Dress Ball" Oil on canvas, 1920s. Private collection.

In 1918 he participated in Herwarth Walden's "Sturm" exhibition in Berlin. He went on to write numerous essays for Walden's magazine on expressionist art "Der Sturm" and also delivered many radio lectures on expressionism and art in general. During this period he published numerous books on the same subjects. In 1924 he launched the group "The International Association of Expressionists, Cubists, Futurists, and Konstructivists" and was president until the rise of Nazi's in 1933, who branded Wauer and his work "degenerate."

"Colour Fight" Oil on canvas, 1918. Private collection.

After the war he worked as a lecturer and was director of the Board of the Association of Fine Artists in Germany. Major retrospectives were held for his 80th, 85th, 90th, and 95th birthdays. He died in Berlin in 1962.

"Non-Stop" Oil on fibreboard, 1930. Private collection.