François Willi Wendt

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François Willi Wendt (16 November 1909 – 15 May 1970) was a French painter of German origin who worked mainly in abstract, non-figurative styles. He belonged to the Paris-based avant‑garde known as the École de Paris.

Life and work
Wendt was born in Berlin and studied philosophy, English and German literature, and art history at German universities, while also painting. He began making abstract art in the early 1930s. As the Nazi regime rose, he faced persecution for his ideas and had to leave Germany in 1937.

In Paris he worked with Fernand Léger’s circle and met many great artists. He participated in exhibitions with other painters of the New École de Paris and formed strong ties with artists such as Roger Bissière, André Lanskoy, Serge Poliakoff, Pierre Soulages and Nicolas de Staël.

During World War II he was a stateless refugee. He was interned several times in France and used the name François Aymon to protect himself. With help from friends and the French Resistance, he lived secretly in Grenoble and elsewhere until the end of the war.

After the war, Wendt returned to Paris with his wife Charlotte Greiner. He continued to develop his abstract painting, joined the Salon des Réalités Nouvelles, and helped other German artists who had been persecuted. In 1968 he became a French citizen.

Wendt died in 1970 in Châtillon, near Paris.

Art and ideas
Wendt believed painting should be a dynamic act, not just an illustration of a subject. He sought to create a dense, rhythmic structure on canvas, balancing color, form and space. He emphasized intensity and the artist’s inner life as driving forces of the work, aiming to fuse structure with living feeling.

Legacy
Wendt participated in many important group shows and had several personal exhibitions. His work is associated with key figures of the Paris abstract movement, and his ideas and writings have continued to influence discussions about abstract painting.