Untitled, Paris, March 1937

Charles Biederman was an abstract artist best known for his biomorphic paintings, geometric sculptures, and three-dimensional mounted constructions. After several rebellious years of study at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, the artist moved to New York for a few years before traveling to Paris in 1936. During this time, his style became more abstract as he was continually exposed to the work of Cubists, Surrealists, and other modern artists. An artist who worked on a diligent schedule, Biederman devoted himself to daily executions of new works. Careful analysis and x-ray imaging have revealed that he strategically planned out his forms before painting, and several graphite lines can still be seen along the edges of color fields and below the paint surface. The central form contains subtle shading and color gradations, which give this multidirectional shape additional volume, foreshadowing his later sculptural constructions.

Credit: Roger and J. Peter McCormick Endowment