Thea Tewi

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Thea Tewi
Thea Tewi 1975.jpg
Thea Tewi in 1975
Born
Thea Wittner

(1902-06-24)June 24, 1902
Berlin, Germany
DiedJuly 5, 1999(1999-07-05) (aged 97)
Queens, New York, US
NationalityGerman-American
Known forsculpture, fashion design
AwardsNeiman Marcus Fashion Award, 1945

Thea Tewi (June 24, 1902 – July 5, 1999) was a German-born American sculptor known for her work in stone. During the 1940s she was also a successful fashion designer who was proclaimed America's top lingerie designer in 1947.[1]

Early life and education[]

Thea Wittner was born in Berlin on June 24, 1902, although some sources state 1915.[2][3][4] She studied at Staatliche Kunstakademie under the direction of Bruno Paul.[4] In 1938, Thea, her Polish husband Kalman Schlachet and their son Peter came to the United States as Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany,[5][6] and she eventually gained American citizenship in 1944, at which time she took the surname Tewi.[4][7]

Tewi continued studying throughout her life, attending the SculptureCenter between 1953 and 1956, the Art Students League from 1954 to 1955, and in 1955, alongside Seymour Lipton and , she went to The New School for Social Research.[4] In 1970, she went to research lost-wax casting and bronze casting in Pietrasanta, Italy.[4]

As fashion designer[]

As a lingerie designer, Tewi was active in New York in the 1940s.[5] Her brand, Tewi Lingerie Inc., was extremely successful, leading to Tewi winning a Neiman Marcus Fashion Award in 1945.[8] Reporting on fashion trends that year, the Detroit Free Press referred to Tewi's "naughty-nice lingerie" featuring "daring cuts" and racy appliqués.[9] Two Thea Tewi garments are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute: a silk nightgown called "Busting Out All Over" and an embroidered silk and lace slip called "Ripe Roses."[10][11]

In 1947, the Textile Colorist journal, while reporting on Tewi's electric-blanket inspired nightgowns, noted that she had been named America's top lingerie designer.[1] In 1950, Thea Tewi Lingerie merged with another leading company, Dutchess Underwear, to offer a line called "Dutchess Individually Yours by Tewi."[12] In 1950, she returned to sculpting.[5] In the 1960s, although Tewi was now regarded and established as a sculptor, she was still remembered as having been a "leading high fashion lingerie designer."[13]

As artist[]

Tewi started out working in metal,[3] but switched to stone as her favourite material, particularly marble and onyx.[4] She resumed sculpting in 1950 following her career as a lingerie designer.[5]

Tewi frequently brought Jewish themes and motifs into her sculpture, including a work using the Hebrew alphabet as its basis which won her the National Arts Club award for religious sculpture in 1966.[5] Her stonework included an art deco style headstone for the grave of Frederick and Helen Serger in Maple Grove Cemetery, Queens, New York.[14] She represented the United States at the 1969 Biennale in Carrara, Italy.[5]

Tewi exhibited widely from the 1960s to the early 1990s, with solo shows in galleries and venues across the United States and Italy, and participated in a number of exhibitions held across America and in Paris and Italy.[4][15] Examples of her sculpture are held by the Smithsonian American Art Museum,[16] the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Chrysler Museum of Art, and many other institutions.[4] Her work is also owned by The Bank of Tokyo, Citicorp, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, and Pfizer.[4]

Prizes[]

Among the prizes received by Tewi were a Special Award for Outstanding Merit in Craftsmanship from the Artists-Craftsmen New York in 1967; a Medal of Honor and First Prize for Sculpture from the National Association of Women Artists in 1969; and a First Prize for Sculpture from the American Society of Contemporary Artists in 1971.[15]

Memberships[]

Tewi was a former president of the Sculptors League and an honorary president of the League of Present-Day Artists. She was also a member of the American Society of Contemporary Artists, the Artists-Craftsmen New York, and the National Association of Women Artists; she chaired the latter group's Sculpture Jury from 1969 to 1972.[15]

Later life and death[]

In 1980 Tewi was reported as dividing her life between Maryland, New York, and Italy.[3]

She died in Queens, New York at the age of 97, in 1999. When her death was recorded, she was entered as Thea Schlachet.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Textile Colorist. Howes Publishing Company. 1947. p. 34.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Person details for Thea Schlachet". FamilySearch. Intellectual Reserve Inc. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Thea Tewi". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i Heller, Jules; Heller, Nancy G. (2013). North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. p. 542. ISBN 9781135638825.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Thea Tewi". Encyclopaedia Judaica year book. p. 331.
  6. ^ "United States Census, 1940". FamilySearch. Intellectual Reserve Inc. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  7. ^ "Record of naturalisation for Thea (Sclachet) Tewi". FamilySearch. Intellectual Reserve Inc. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  8. ^ Staff writer (October 25, 2002). "The Neiman's Seal of Approval". Women's Wear Daily. via Highbeam (subscription required). Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
  9. ^ "Coming Styles Cast Their Silhouettes". Detroit Free Press. December 23, 1945. p. 27.
  10. ^ "Tewi Lingerie, Inc: "Busting Out All Over"". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  11. ^ "Madame Thea Tewi: "Ripe Roses"". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  12. ^ Department Store Economist. Chilton Company. 1950. p. 118.
  13. ^ Mohr, Berta (March 19, 1965). "Berta Mohr Reports Lingerie Face-Lifting". The Journal News. p. 8. Retrieved August 15, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Cataldi, Nancy; Ballenas, Carl (2006). Maple Grove Cemetery. Arcadia Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 0738549142.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Thea TEWI (1913–?)". Artprice. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  16. ^ "The Gordian by Thea Tewi / American Art". americanart.si.edu. Smithsonian Institution.

Further reading[]

  • Watson-Jones, Virginia (1986). Contemporary American Women Sculptors. Oryx.
  • Meilach, Dona Z. (1970). Contemporary stone sculpture: aesthetics, methods, appreciation. Crown Publishers.
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