Marianne von Werefkin 1860 – 1938

Biography

Marianne von Werefkin was born on September 10, 1860, in Tula, Russia, during a period of significant artistic and cultural transformation across Europe. Her life would span nearly eight decades, taking her from her Russian birthplace through Germany and ultimately to Switzerland, where she would establish herself as a notable figure in the expressionist movement. Her journey across these three nations shaped both her identity and her artistic vision.

Von Werefkin dedicated her life to painting, becoming recognized as an expressionist artist whose work reflected the modernist sensibilities of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her career unfolded across the artistic centers of Europe, where she engaged with the dynamic movements and innovative ideas that defined her era. Through her artistic practice, she contributed to the evolving landscape of European expressionism during a transformative period in art history.

In her later years, von Werefkin settled in Ascona, Switzerland, where she remained until her death on February 6, 1938. Her final resting place is in the Ascona cemetery, a quiet testament to the life she built in this lakeside community. Though the specific circumstances of her passing were not recorded, her legacy endures through her artistic contributions and her presence in the history of expressionist painting.