Alice Mavrogordato (née Alice Blum; 1916–2000) was an Austrian-born American artist, and translator. She is known for her abstract oil paintings, and is associated with the

Washington Color School The Washington Color School, also known as the Washington, D.C., Color School, was an art movement starting during the 1950s–1970s in Washington, D.C., in the United States, built of abstract expressionist artists. The movement emerged during ...

movement. She worked as a translator during the

Nuremberg trials The Nuremberg trials were held by the Allies of World War II, Allies against representatives of the defeated Nazi Germany, for plotting and carrying out invasions of other countries, and other crimes, in World War II. Between 1939 and 1945 ...

in the mid-1940s.

Early life

Her name at birth was Alice Blum, she was born on 14 March 1916 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, which at the time was part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. Her mother was Friederike (née Grossman) and her father was Ludwig Blum. At age 12, she took classes at the

Vienna School of Applied Arts en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, with

Franz Cižek Franz Cižek (12 June 1865 – 17 December 1946) was an Austrian genre and portrait painter, who was a teacher and reformer of art education. He began the Child Art Movement in Vienna, opening the Juvenile Art Class in 1897. Life Franz Cižek wa ...

. She had studied textile design in Austria from 1930 to 1932, and worked as a knitwear designer. On March 12, 1938, the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

'','' the

annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

into

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

happened. In 1939, she left and moved to England, as a Jewish refugee. In 1941 and 1942 during the beginning of World War II, she was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

at the

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

. After being released, she worked in London in a war production factory. After World War II, she worked for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, as a translator during the Nuremberg trials for military war crimes. In 1948, she married Ralph S. Mavrogordato, an American soldier.

Career

In 1951, she immigrated to

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

; followed by a move in 1953 to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Around 1954, she studied at the Washington Workshop Center for the Arts, under

Morris Louis Morris Louis Bernstein (November 28, 1912 – September 7, 1962), known professionally as Morris Louis, was an American painter. During the 1950s he became one of the earliest exponents of Color Field painting. While living in Washington, D.C ...

and

Kenneth Noland Kenneth Noland (April 10, 1924 – January 5, 2010) was an American painter. He was one of the best-known American color field painters, although in the 1950s he was thought of as an abstract expressionist and in the early 1960s he was though ...

. Her first solo art exhibition was in 1958. She was known for her oil paintings. She died of cancer on October 20, 2000, in Washington, D.C. She left her art estate of more than 300 works to the Republic of Austria.

Exhibitions

* 1995: ''Women in Exile'', (group exhibition),

Palais Pálffy Palais Pálffy ( en, Pálffy Palace) is a palace located on Josefsplatz in the Innere Stadt (inner city) district of Vienna, Austria. It was once owned by the noble Pálffy family. Today, the building is used for music performances and various k ...

, Vienna, Austria *1979: (group exhibition), Plum Gallery, Kensington, Maryland *1957: ''New Faces'', (group exhibition), Franz Bader Gallery, Washington, D.C.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mavrogordato, Alice 1916 births 2000 deaths Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Austrian emigrants to the United States Jewish emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss Artists from Vienna Painters from Washington, D.C. Nuremberg trials