Werefkin, Marianne von (1860-1938)

Werefkin, Marianne von

PAINTER (RUSSIA)

BORN 10 Sep 1860, Tula - DIED 6 Feb 1938, Ascona, Ticino
BIRTH NAME Werewkina, Marianna Wladimirowna
GRAVE LOCATION Ascona, Ticino: Cimitero Comunale, Via Losone (Russian-Orthodox section)

Marianne von Werefkin came from an ancient noble family. Her father was the commander of the Regiment in Ekatarinenburg and her mother painted icons. After receiving private drawing lessons she was taught by Illarion Pryanishnikov (1840-1894) from 1883 and she became a student of Ilya Repin in 1886 after the family moved to St Petersburg. In 1888 she accidentally shot her right hand during hunting and for a long time she was unable to draw and paint with this hand. In 1892 she met Alexej Jawlensky at Repin's studio and she decided to become his patron. In 1896 they travelled to Munich with their very young servant.

After their move to Munich she halted her painting for almost ten years. In 1902 she and Jawlensky had a son but her relationship with Jawlensky was difficult at the time and she made long trips to France to recover. She resumed her painting in 1906 and met Franz von Stuck and Franz Lenbach. In 1907 she adopted an expressionist style. From 1908 to 1910 she and Jawlensky worked with Wassily Kandinsky and Gabriële Münter during the summers in and around Murnau. Members of the German and Russian avant garde met at Werefkin's apartment in Munich before they founded the Neue Künstlervereinigung München (NKVM) in 1909. Werefkin herself founded the Lukasbruderschaft of which Kandinsky was a member. Kandinsky and Franz Marc first met at her home in 1911 and they would form Der Blaue Reiter. In 1912 Werefkin and Jawlensky left the NKVM and joined Der Blauer Reiter.

After the First World War broke out she was forced to move to Switzerland with Jawlewnsky. They lived near Geneva and Zürich. There they met Rainer Maria Rilke and Wilhelm Lehmbruck. In 1918 they settled in Ascona but in 1921 they separated. Werefkin continued painting in Ascona and founded the art group "Großer Bär". In her later years she painted posters and was financially supported by her friends Carmen and Diego Hagmann. She died in 1938 in Ascona.

Related persons
• was pupil of Azbe, Anton
• met Busoni, Ferrucio
• met Lehmbruck, Wilhelm
• met Lenbach, Franz von
• was a friend of Münter, Gabriele
• knew Reventlow, Franziska Gräfin zu
• met Stuck, Franz von

Images
The grave of Marianne Werefkin at the Cimitero Comunale in Ascona, Ticino. Picture by Androom (16 Feb 2019)	The grave of Marianne Werefkin at the Cimitero Comunale in Ascona, Ticino. Picture by Androom (16 Feb 2019)