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Wols

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description Wols Overview

Wols, born Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, was a German-born painter and photographer who became a pioneering figure in the development of Art Informel and Tachisme. Fleeing the rise of Nazism, he settled in France, where he produced small-scale, intense, and gestural abstract paintings. His work, characterized by scratches, blotches, and a highly personal mark-making technique, was heavily influenced by existentialist philosophy. Wols also gained recognition for his evocative, often surreal, black-and-white photography.

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What was Wols's real name?

Wols was born Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze in Berlin in 1913. He adopted the name 'Wols' after moving to Paris, where he became embedded in the city's bohemian artistic and literary circles.

What art movement is Wols associated with?

Wols is considered a foundational figure of Art Informel, the European equivalent of Abstract Expressionism that emerged after World War II. His small, intensely worked abstractions, along with his photographs, helped define the movement's emphasis on spontaneity, gesture, and materiality.

Did Wols also work as a photographer?

Yes, before focusing on painting, Wols was an accomplished photographer in Paris, producing portraits of artists and writers. His photographic work, often intimate and sometimes surrealist in character, was admired by figures including Max Ernst.

How did Wols die?

Wols died in Paris in 1951 at the age of 38, his health ruined by years of poverty, hardship, and alcoholism during and after World War II. Despite his short life, his small-scale paintings and drawings had an outsized influence on postwar European abstraction.