Existing comment:
Agnes Ernst Meyer
An interview with the art impresario Alfred Stieglitz piqued Agnes Ernst Meyer's interest in European modernism and prompted her to leave her job at the New York Sun, where she had served as the newspaper's first female reporter. She traveled to Paris in 1908 to study the latest art trends, and upon her return to New York City sixteen months later, she became a member of Stieglitz's modernist circle, which also included the artist Marius de Zayas.
Meyer worked with de Zayas to establish the Modern Gallery and the avant-garde arts journal 291, named after Stieglitz's renowned gallery. She also encouraged de Zayas to experiment with abstract portraiture, which was inspired by the Cubist break with optical reality. In this depiction, oval forms suggest Meyer's facial features, while curving lines allude to her body. De Zayas often portrayed Stieglitz and members of his circle, including painter John Marin and photographer Paul Haviland.
Marius de Zayas, c 1912-13 |