Catalogue Entry

Commentary

The drawing is a portrait of Gorky's pupil and future biographer, Ethel Kremer (m. Schwabacher; 1903–1984), who met the artist in New York in 1928. Between January 1934 and 1935, the friendship deepened as she and fellow patron, Mina Boehm Metzger (1877–1975), shared private lessons with Gorky, meeting at his 36 Union Square studio three afternoons a week for three hours. Ethel and her husband, Wolfgang Schwabacher (m. 1935; 1898–1951), remained devoted patrons of Gorky's work throughout their lives. In 1957, Ethel published the first monograph on Gorky (Schwabacher 1957).