David Von Schlegell (May 25, 1920 – October 5, 1992) was an American abstract artist, sculptor and educator.
Early life and education
David von Schlegell was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1920, the son of American impressionist artist William von Schlegell and painter Alice "Bae" Anderson. At the University of Michigan in the early 1940s, his concentration was on naval and aviation engineering. During WWII, he served in the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 to 1944, becoming a first lieutenant. On a mission over the Mediterranean, he was shot down and while wounded, flew his B17 with his crew to safety.For his bravery he was awarded a Purple Heart.
After the war, he joined the Art Students League of New York where his father taught, and continued to study painting with him in the artist's community of Ogunquit, Maine.
Career
He showed his paintings regionally in the 1950s. In the early 1960s David von Schlegell built his own home and studio in Cape Neddick, Maine. During that time, he turned to making sculpture, soon establishing himself as an eminent sculptor showing in Boston. He moved from wood to large scale works of polished steel and aluminum developing streamlined abstract forms and planes, often held in place by rigging wire, drawing from Constructivism and his lifelong interest in naval and airplane design.
