MID-CENTURY MODERN BRONZE Sculpture LISTED ARTIST by Amalia de Schulthess For Sale

Amalia de Schulthess grew up in Switzerland and studied at the State College Trogen, Appenzell Ausserrhoden and the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zurich. She came from a family of dedicated art collectors and patrons. Indeed, her father was closely acquainted with Paul Klee, and the famed artist paid frequent visits to their home. Klee was a key source of inspiration to Amalia; he encouraged her to express herself and commit to the pursuit of artmaking.In 1941, Amalia emigrated to the US to marry her fiancée, Hans George Martin de Schulthess, who was born into a wealthy banking family. Amalia met Hans while studying in Trogen. Their parents disapproved of the match, and it was Amalia who advocated the bold move to America. The couple were first based in New York and then ultimately settled in Southern California.While in New York in the early 1940s, Amalia renewed her friendship with the illustrious artist Piet Mondrian and became his patron:
This connection, like her early contact with Paul Klee, would prove to be influential to her artistic trajectory, as she continued to make her own art. She was also immersed in the leading artistic circles and knew many important artists very well, including Alberto Giacometti, Marino Marini, and François Stahly to name but a few. Hans was also deeply involved in the arts as a patron and collector, and gifted numerous works to the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) by prominent artists such as Nicolas de Staël and Édouard Vuillard. Tragically, he died in an automobile accident in 1962 at the age of 44. By this time, Amalia and Hans had divorced but were still close friends.Amalia and Hans both spent their lives devoted to supporting artists and arts institutions and building a formidable collection. Much of their substantial collection was amassed during the 1950s, primarily from American and Parisian sources. In parallel, Amalia concentrated on developing her own artistic practice. For most of her adult life, she created her art in California and New Mexico. In Taos, Amalia met Andrew Dasburg and she was instrumental in reviving the career of a great Modernist who had fallen into obscurity after the war.Solo shows of Amalia’s work were held at the Museum of New Mexico, Santa Fe (1956); the Esther Robles Gallery, Los Angeles (1956 and 1962); the Rose Rabow Gallery, San Francisco (1960); and the David Cole Gallery, San Francisco (1962). Successful exhibitions of her artwork were also organized at a number of European galleries. After the 1960s, Amalia fully turned her attention from painting to making sculpture. She took great care in the materials she used to create her sculptures, to the extent that she moved from California to Florence, Italy and swiftly chose a studio and foundry in Pietrasanta; Amalia shared this foundry with the renowned Henry Moore. She was based here for a decade in order to situate herself in proximity to the Carrara marble quarries, the favored source of stone for eminent sculptors through the centuries. During her time in Italy, Amalia returned annually to Santa Monica, California with crates of her sculptures for her dealers in America. She continued to sculpt in Los Angeles and Apple Valley, California all the way through her nineties, driven by her innate lifelong passion to create art.Amalia’s sculptures are very much part of the avant-garde Modernist discourse. We can find inspiration in the biomorphic forms of her sculptures from her Canto d’Estate series and Bird series from luminaries like Jean Arp and Constantin Brancusi, for example. Amalia also had a strong interest in the concepts and motifs of Surrealism, and created a number of works profoundly influenced by René Magritte. She was represented by the Esther Robles Gallery and it appears that her connection to this space as an artist intersected with her role as a collector. Amalia acquired Torse nu dans les nuages by René Magritte from her dealer in the early 1950s. The duality of Amalia’s position in the art world is perfectly encapsulated in this event.Amalia de Schulthess passed away on 28 May 2021 in her home in Santa Monica, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy. She is survived by her two daughters, as well as her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Amalia was driven by her calling as an artist and collector, and treasured living with a magnificent array of artworks. Her collection of fine art, by Modern masters who shaped the canon of twentieth-century art history, has been cherished in her private home for decades and select works are seen now for the first time in over 70 years.