Charles Biederman, born Karel Joseph Biederman (American, 1906-2004). Hand-colored lithograph depicting a geometric abstraction, 1937. Pencil signed and dated 10/37 along the lower right.

Lot Essay:
Born to Czech parents in Cleveland in 1906, Biederman was involved in the American art scene for his entire life. He briefly studied at the Cleveland Art Institute and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) before dropping out and moving to New York. It was there that he met and was included in shows with other influential artists of the time including Alexander Calder, John Ferren, George L.K. Morris, and Charles Green Shaw.

For nine months from 1936-37 Biederman studied in Paris. It was here that he met and was influenced by leading artists including Picasso, Mondrian, and Miro. He was initially influenced by the works of Fernand Leger before moving away from his style and towards totally abstract, geometric compositions. The movements of Cezanne, Post-Impressionism, and Cubism informed the evolution of his style. And while he started out painting, he abandoned two-dimensional for more sculptural works by 1937.

In 1941 he married Mary Moore Biederman and in the following year he moved to Red Wing, Minnesota, where he would spend the rest of his life. In the 1950s, he created the term "Structurism" to help define his works from Constructivism and De Stijl. Many prominent collections around the world contain Structurist Reliefs including The Whitney Art Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Tate, London.

In 2004, Beiderman died at the age of 98 and his estate was subsequently given to the Weisman Art Museum on the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities campus. They have organized traveling exhibitions of his works.
Sight; height: 9 1/2 in x width: 7 1/2 in. Framed; height: 17 in x width: 13 in.

There are numerous minute tears and chips along the extreme edges of the sheet, not visible when framed, only visible when unframed. There is a small loss along the upper right corner of the sheet, not visible when framed. There are a few minute spots of accretions, possibly original to the artist process, visible along the extreme lower left edge and along the upper right quadrant. Numerous small creases throughout, likely from handling as the paper is very thin. Slight undulation to the sheet throughout. There are a few spots of moisture exposure visible along the verso, possibly original to the artistic hand-coloring process. These moisture spots are visible along the recto as areas of uneven coloration within the geometric shape. There are numerous pencil inscriptions along the verso. The artwork is further signed and dated along the verso. There is some light soiling to the verso. There is a geometric series of marks along the verso, cut off by the edges of the sheet, that may be another printing.