Holcha Krake

Holcha Krake
Born(1885-04-06)April 6, 1885
Karlby Sogn, Denmark
DiedJanuary 13, 1944(1944-01-13) (aged 58)
New York, New York
Known forTextile artist
Spouse
William H. Johnson
​
(m. 1930)​

Holcha Krake (1885-1944) was a Danish born textile artist, ceramist, watercolorist and the wife of the Harlem Renaissance artist William H. Johnson.

Biography

Krake was born on April 6, 1885, in Karlby Sogn, Denmark.[1] Krake studied in textile design in Sweden, Norway. and Denmark. In 1929 she met the artist William H. Johnson (1901-1970) when both were in France. They were married in Denmark in 1930 and resided in Norway for a time before settling in New York in 1938.[2] Johnson often used Krake as a subject.[3][4]

Krake died of breast cancer in New York City on January 13, 1944.[2][3][1] Her work is in the collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.[5] In 2019 the Florence County Museum in Florence, South Carolina held an exhibition of the couple's work called Willie and Holcha.[6]

Holcha Krake. Splash glazed dish with tribal Berber patterns. Ca. 1932-1938.
  • Fish Design for a Ceramic Plate by Holcha Krake
    Fish Design for a Ceramic Plate by Holcha Krake
  • Holcha Krake, by William H. Johnson, hand colored woodcut on paper
    Holcha Krake, by William H. Johnson, hand colored woodcut on paper

References

  1. ^ a b "Artist: Holcha Krake". Kunstindeks Danmark. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Willie and Holcha". The Florence County Museum. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Holcha Krake". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Portrait of Holcha Krake Johnson by William HJohnson". Artnet. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Fish Design for a Ceramic Plate | Smithsonian American Art Museum". Smithsonian American Art Museum. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  6. ^ "'Willie and Holcha' exhibit opens at museum". Florence News Journal. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2020.

Further reading