The Art of Emma Bormann By Andreas Johns
The Art of Emma Bormann By Andreas Johns
Emma Bormann (1887-1974) was a remarkable Austrian artist, best known for her work as a printmaker. She began making woodcuts in 1917 and quickly developed a distinctive, individual style that combined respect for the craft of woodcut with a modern sensibility and a strong artistic vision. Observers have often remarked on the dynamism and energy of her work. Bormann traveled widely in Europe and Asia from the 1920s to the end of her life. She left Vienna and lived in China with her family, mostly in Shanghai, from 1939 to 1950. Following a brief return to Europe, she lived in Tokyo, Japan and Riverside, California. Among her favorite subjects were panoramic city views, crowded streets and squares, and the interiors of theaters, opera houses, concert halls, and circuses. She exhibited frequently during her lifetime, and today her prints are in many private and museum collections, including the Albertina in Vienna, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This book documents Emma Bormann's wide-ranging travels and productive artistic life, with 196 illustrations.