Marguerite Thomas Zorach (1887-1968) and her husband William Zorach
(1887-1966) are renowned for their innovation during the height of American
modernism, embodied by their unique blend of Cubism and Fauvism as well
as the scope of their varied careers. Marguerite was an American Fauvist
painter and early exponent of modernism in America, born in California into
a well-to-do family. She exhibited an interest in art at an early age, and
studied at Stanford University before traveling to Paris with her aunt, where
she was introduced to Gertrude Stein and exposed to the work of Henri
Matisse. There she discovered her affinity for the color palette of the Fauves.
Marguerite studied for a period of time at the conservative Académie de la
Grande Chaumière before attending the progressive art school La Palette,
where she met her future husband William. Their marriage, in 1912, began a
strong companionship in which the two artists consistently inspired,
influenced and shaped each another’s artistic lives.
Born in 1887 in Lithuania, William Zorach immigrated to Cleveland, with his
family at age 4. He worked as both a sculptor and watercolorist at the
vanguard of American modernism, after briefly studying in Paris in the early
1910s. While Zorach initially practiced painting, his interests in sculpture,
which took root in 1917, soon eclipsed all other media and he devoted himself
fully to sculpture by 1922. By the 1930s, Zorach was regarded as one of
America’s premier sculptors and was honored with multiple commissions
and exhibitions including shows at the Whitney Museum of American Art,
New York, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Marguerite and William both exhibited at the Armory Show. Marguerite
Zorach’s single entry, a Fauve oil on canvas simply titled
Study
, was priced at
$600 (approximately $14,000 today.) Like most of the other Fauve paintings
at the show, her work received some ridicule from critics, who were not yet
accustomed to the non-representative use of color espoused by the Fauves.
William exhibited several oil paintings at the Armory Show, the highest asking
price was for a portrait at $800 (around $19,000 today). Both Marguerite and
William showcased some of the most avant-garde American works at the
Armory Show. Their willingness to adopt the modern styles fomenting at the
time in Europe was exceptional, and they continued to pursue innovative
techniques and styles throughout their careers.
