Emerson Woelffer

Emerson Seville Woelffer (July 27, 1914 – February 2, 2003), was an American artist and arts educator. He was known as a prominent abstract expressionist artist and painter and taught art at some of the most prestigious colleges and universities. Woelffer was one of the important people in bringing modernism to Los Angeles, when he taught at Chouinard Art Institute.

Biography Woelffer was born July 27, 1914, in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago between 1935 and 1937, with László Moholy-Nagy.

Woelffer is best known for his boldly colored abstract paintings and collages with jagged forms. He also created sculpture and lithographs. Late in his career―suffering from macular degeneration―he began working in white crayon on black paper.

Death and legacy He died in Los Angeles, California in 2003. San Diego Museum of Art, Yellowstone Art Museum (Billings, Montana), Asheville Art Museum, Black Mountain College Museum + Art Center, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA).

Personal life In 1945 he married Dina Anderson, a photographer. (used for travel to Paris) 1974 – Artist Grant, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) 1984 – Pollock–Krasner Grant 1988 – Francis J. Greenburger Award (in conjunction with the Guggenheim Museum, New York City) 1991 – Honorary Doctorate Degree, Otis College of Art and Design