Maria Weigert Brendel (18 December 1902–1994) was a German expert on classical art. She studied at the

University of Heidelberg Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public university, public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is List ...

, before being pulled out of the university by her father, and being forced to flee the country to avoid

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

persecution. Later, she published a number of Otto Brendel's works.

Biography

Early life

Born to Erich Weigert, a bureaucrat, Maria Weigert was the first girl to attend a normally boys only German Gymnasium. She was childhood friends with

Dietrich Bonhoeffer Dietrich Bonhoeffer (; 4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the s ...

. She went on to study at the

, studying with Professor Ludwig Curtius. It was there that she met her future husband, Otto Brendel. When she was almost finished with her degree, while writing her dissertation on the

Ludovisi Throne The Ludovisi Throne is an exceptional ancient sculpture from Locri, Southern Italy. Not an actual throne, the sculpture is white marble block intricately carved with bas-reliefs on its three visible sides, with its primary depiction considered by ...

, her father discovered her relationship with Brendel and pulled her out of the university, ending her doctoral career.

Marriage and child

Weigert married Brendel in 1929. In 1931, they moved near the University of Erlangen for Otto's new position. Their daughter, artist and painter Cornelia Brendel Foss, was born there in 1931. Cornelia married musician and composer

Lukas Foss Lukas Foss (August 15, 1922 – February 1, 2009) was a German-American composer, pianist, and conductor. Career Born Lukas Fuchs in Berlin, Germany in 1922, Foss was soon recognized as a child prodigy. He began piano and theory lessons with J ...

Life and works

In 1932, the family moved to Rome for Otto's position as First Assistant at the German Archaeological Institute, but in 1936, Otto was dismissed from his post because he was married to Maria, a non-Aryan. Maria moved back to Berlin with Cornelia, living under a false name so nobody suspected her Jewish identity. On 3 September 1939, Maria and Cornelia left Germany and immigrated to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, where Otto was already living. In 1956, they moved to New York City, where both Maria and Otto were actively involved in the Archaeology Club. Other members included

Dorothy Hill Dorothy Hill, (10 September 1907 – 23 April 1997) was an Australian geologist and palaeontologist, the first female professor at an Australian university, and the first female president of the Australian Academy of Science. Education Doroth ...

, Homer and

Dorothy Thompson Dorothy Celene Thompson (July 9, 1893 – January 30, 1961) was an American journalist and radio broadcaster. She was the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany, in 1934, and was one of the few women news commentators broadc ...

, Frances Follin Jones of the Princeton Art Gallery, and Evelyn Harrison. After Otto died in September 1973, his widow began to publish and distribute a number of Otto's unfinished works. She translated ''The Symbolism of the Sphere'' from German into English, and an article on "Iphigeneia in Tauris in Euripides and Goethe" from English to German. She arranged for Emeline Richardson to complete his book ''Etruscan Art,'' and later for Francesca Serra Ridgway to write the second edition. She was involved in the posthumous publication of ''Festschrift'' in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brendel, Maria Weigert German art historians American art historians German women art historians Heidelberg University alumni People from Berlin 1902 births 1994 deaths Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States 20th-century German women writers American women historians 20th-century American women