What's Important About William & Marguerite Zorach?
For over 50 years, William and Marguerite Zorach were an integral part of the Twentieth Century American art scene. From the time they met in Paris in 1911 to well into the 1960s, they were considered inseparable, referred to collectively by friends and patrons alike as "the Zorachs".
The early years spent in Paris inspired their mutual creative vision. They began as Fauvists, but their work quickly evolved. Their combined talent paved the way for an upheaval in New York City's art world that came to be known as Modernism. Their works included watercolors, oils, tapestry and hooked rugs, murals, scenic design, as well as direct carving in wood and stone.
William, a prolific painter as well as sculptor enjoyed the process of discovery. As he walked the shoreline below his summer home in Maine, a tide washed granite stone might suggest a sleeping seagull, its beak carefully concealed beneath a protective wing. A storm downed branch brought in with the tide might cloak a pirouetting dancer who awaited the first strike of a chisel to set her free. His inspiration came from nature and his works included vibrant oils and watercolors; flowing line sketches as well as graceful sculpture.
Marguerite not only expressed her talents through her embroideries and paintings but applied them to the decor of their living quarters as well as the clothing she designed for herself and her family, right down to the stockings that her daughter, Dahlov wore to grade school. No wonder it has been said that the Zorachs truly lived life as an art form.
Throughout their careers both Marguerite and William continued to adhere to their own artistic vision. They refused to allow the trends of the day influence their styles. They saw each and every work as a unique creation that would forever stand unmistakably as a "Zorach". Truly, theirs is both a love story as well as a success story.
Their works have been collected by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The Delaware Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, The Farnsworth Art Museum, Portland Museum of Art, The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The Smithsonian, The Philips Collection, and educational institutions such as Colby College, The University of Vermont, Williams College, Bowdoin College, and the University of Virginia.
In addition William has works associated with many public buildings, among them: Radio City Music Hall, New York City Municipal Court, the U.S. Post Office in Washington D.C. as well as Farleigh Dickinson University. He was honored by the Clinton White House as one of America’s great artists.
Want to know more?
See Jessica Nicoll's "To
Be Modern"
The
Origins of Marguerite and William Zorach's
Creative Partnership, 1911-1922 by Jessica
Nicoll : Former Curator, Portland Museum of Art; now Director of the Smith College Museum of Art
Zorach
Collection, LLC
If you have any questions regarding William and Marguerite Zorach;
have a piece of art that you need to discuss; or would
just plain like to reminisce, please contact one of the Zorach
Collection, LLC's Executive Committee - William
and Marguerite's grandchildren. We would be delighted to help
you!
Peter Zorach
Bob Ipcar
Tim Zorach
Zorach Exhibits
Recent exhibits of William & Marguerite Zorach's work
Zorach works for sale at our galleries...
For a small overview see William & Marguerite Zorach's galleries |
Marguerite and William
