Annemarie Davidson (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Behrendt) (1920-September 24, 2012) was a German-born American copper enamel artist. Davidson was known for her Southern Californian modernist freeform abstract copper enamels and was influenced by noted enamelists Curtis Tann, Doris Hall, and Mary Sharp. Davidson "is responsible for some of the finest enamels in the second half of the 20th Century."

History

Annemarie Davidson was born Annemarie Behrendt in 1920 in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany. Davidson came to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with her family in 1936. Davidson, studied economics, receiving her bachelor's degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

in 1941, and was awarded her master's degree at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in 1942. In 1942, Davidson married Norman Davidson, a chemist and molecular biologist. The Davidsons moved to

Sierra Madre, California Sierra Madre (Spanish language, Spanish for "mother range") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, with a population of 11,268 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. The city is in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley below the southern ...

, in 1946 where Norman Davidson was Caltech professor and a pioneering scientist in the field of microbiology. While Davidson's husband was at Harvard in 1957, she studied with enamelist Doris Hall in Cambridge. Returning to Sierra Madre in 1958, Davidson continued studying with the African American enamelist Curtis Tann. Davidson became a friend of Los Angeles–based enamelist

Mary Sharp Mary Sharp (1778–1812), also called Mary Lloyd-Baker or Mary Lloyd Baker, was a niece of the British abolitionist Granville Sharp (1735 – 1813). Mary Sharp herself was an ardent abolitionist, active in campaigns to abolish the Atlantic slave ...

. Influenced by Hall, Tann and to some extent Sharp, Davidson's enamels were brightly colored and abstract. Davidson would use glass fragments, which she referred to as "jewels" in her work which would become part of the enamel, giving her work a distinctive freeform sculptural style. Davidson produced a variety of copper enameled plates and bowls in various sizes, along with copper enamel tile to be used as inlays for boxes and furniture. Her work was sold by "leading gift and furniture stores throughout the country." Davidson often collaborated with artist Blaine Rath. Davidson's enamels would be mounted in boxes and other decorative objects made from walnut, maple and rosewood crafted by Rath. Davidson died September 24, 2012, in Sierra Madre.

Exhibitions

* International Exhibit in New Delhi, India * Decorative Arts and Ceramics Exhibition at the Wichita Art Association in 1958 * California Design exhibitions at the

Pasadena Art Museum The Norton Simon Museum is an art museum located in Pasadena, California. It was previously known as the Pasadena Art Institute and the Pasadena Art Museum and displays numerous sculptures on its grounds. Overview The Norton Simon collections ...

1961, 1962, and 1965 *

Long Beach Museum of Art The Long Beach Museum of Art is a museum located on Ocean Boulevard in the Bluff Park neighborhood of Long Beach, California, United States. The museum's permanent collection includes over 4,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, works on paper, ...

2007 *

Mobile Museum of Art The Mobile Museum of Art (MMofA) is an art museum located in Mobile, Alabama. It features extensive art collections from the United States, Europe, and non-western art. The museum hosts exhibitions, multi-disciplinary programs (including film, ...

2008 *

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Annemarie 1920 births 2012 deaths 20th-century enamellers American enamelers Women enamellers Artists from Berlin People from Sierra Madre, California Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States