Theodore William Schempp (1904–1988) was an American artist and art dealer. He dealt in

pre-Columbian art Pre-Columbian art refers to the visual arts of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean, North, Central, and South Americas from at least 13,000 BCE to the European conquests starting in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The Pre-Columbian era c ...

, and

modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

works. He sold to other dealers, institutions and collectors, and collected art in his own right.

Early life

He was the second son of William Frederick Schempp and his wife Della Karstetter of

Brodhead, Wisconsin Brodhead is a city in Green County, Wisconsin, Green and Rock County, Wisconsin, Rock counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,274 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. In February 2000, the city annexed a portion of l ...

, born February 10, 1904. His father edited the local newspaper there; and died in 1929. Schempp attended Brodhead High School, and went on to

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

, where he studied the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

. He graduated B.A. in 1926. He took the Conservatory music course there, to 1927, for the Mus.B. degree. He then moved to Paris, continuing his piano studies under

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot (; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his poeti ...

. He also painted.

Villa Schempp

The Villa Théodore Schempp was built by Marcel Zielinski, a student of

Robert Mallet-Stevens Robert Mallet-Stevens (March 24, 1886 – February 8, 1945) was an influential French architect and designer. Early life Mallet-Stevens was born in Paris in a house called Maison-Laffitte (designed by François Mansart in the 17th century). H ...

, at 5 rue Gauguet,

14th arrondissement of Paris The 14th arrondissement of Paris ( ), officially named ''arrondissement de l'Observatoire'' (; meaning "arrondissement of the Observatory", after the Paris Observatory), is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It is situa ...

, over the years 1928 to 1931. It was part of a terraced development of International Style artists' studios at 3, 5 and 7 rue Gauguet. Having been for a time in the 1950s the studio of

Hans Hartung Hans Hartung (21 September 1904 – 7 December 1989) was a German-French painter, known for his gestural abstract style. He was also a decorated World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, ...

, no. 5 is now the premises of Galerie Schirman & de Beaucé.

Art dealer, Paris and New York

In 1937, Schempp abandoned his career in music, and concentrated on dealing in art. He sold two modernist painting at the beginning of the year to

Walter Arensberg Walter Conrad Arensberg (April 4, 1878 – January 29, 1954) was an American art collector, critic and poet. His father was part owner and president of a crucible steel company. He majored in English and philosophy at Harvard University. With his w ...

and his wife Louise. That year also, he sold a 1925 work by

Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, , ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, and conceptual art. Duchamp is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso ...

to Earl Stendahl.

Georges Braque Georges Braque ( , ; 13 May 1882 – 31 August 1963) was a major 20th-century List of French artists, French painter, Collage, collagist, Drawing, draughtsman, printmaker and sculpture, sculptor. His most notable contributions were in his all ...

lived in the same area of Paris, with a studio on rue du Douanier; and he and Schempp became friends. Schempp sold a Braque still life from 1943 to

Toledo Museum of Art The Toledo Museum of Art is an internationally known art museum located in the Old West End neighborhood of Toledo, Ohio. It houses a collection of more than 30,000 objects. With 45 galleries, it covers 280,000 square feet and is currently in th ...

, around 1950. Ellen H. Johnson, a friend, wrote that Schempp "frequently traveled to the States, bringing with him fine examples of the current School of Paris". A 1940 exhibition of modern French art at Oberlin College showed works lent by Schempp, and others from the

Herron Museum Herron School of Art and Design, officially IU Herron School of Art and Design, is a public art school at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a professional art school and has been accredited ...

Smith College Museum of Art The Smith College Museum of Art (abbreviated SCMA), is an art museum in Northampton, Massachusetts connected with Smith College. The museum is known for its compilation of American and European art of the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by ...

and the Phillips Memorial Gallery. In the fall of 1941 Schempp was on the West Coast, where he hung an exhibition of

Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...

at the

Stendahl Galleries Earl L. Stendahl (December 11, 1888 – May 18, 1966) was a pioneering American art dealer known for promoting California Impressionism, modern and pre-Columbian art. The gallery he founded celebrated its centennial in 2011. Early life Stendahl wa ...

. Having spent years out of France, Schempp returned soon after the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1946

Nicolas de Staël Nicolas de Staël (; January 5, 1914 – March 16, 1955) was a French painter of Russian origin known for his use of a thick impasto and his highly abstract landscape painting. He also worked with collage, illustration and textiles. Early life ...

took a studio at 7 rue Gauguet, and associated with Braque. At this point he was selling in Paris through Louis Carré. Schempp met de Staël in 1947, and, from about 1950, was his dealer in the United States, selling his works in particular to collectors in the

Mid West The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

Later life

In 1962 Schempp became dealer for

Claude Garache Claude Garache (born 1929 or 1930) is a French artist. He has worked in painting, sculpture, illustration and engraving. His principal subject is the female nude. Much of his work uses a single colour on a monochrome background, very often blood- ...

. He died in

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

in 1988.

Family

In post-war Paris, Schempp met the artists' model Odile Arnould, and they formed a relationship. Much later, they were married.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schempp, Theodore William 1904 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American painters 20th-century American pianists American art dealers People from Wisconsin