An Artist
at Large in the Diplomatic World
Irena Baruch Wiley
(1906-1972)
Contact: Julie Sullivan
at Gold Leaf Studios
202 833-2440
juliedsullivan@gmail.com
A Collection of Portraits by Polish-American Artist Irena
Wiley to be exhibited in Dupont Circle from June 19 to
August 1, 2008
Diplomat's wife played key role in the escape of Jewish
refugees, including Sigmund Freud, from Nazi occupied
Vienna, Austria
On June 19, an exhibit of recently discovered portraits by
Irena Wiley, wife of former U.S. Diplomat John Wiley, will
make its public debut at Gold Leaf Studios in Dupont Circle
(Rear 1523 22nd Street, NW, Washington, D.C.) where the
collection has been carefully conserved and framed.
The collection was discovered and purchased almost three
years ago by a local private collector. It took two years
of research to discover the identity of the artist - former
Georgetown resident Irena Wiley. Her husband John was a
U.S. Ambassador whose career spanned nearly three decades
and carried him and his artist wife to diverse postings
around the globe including the first U.S. Embassy in
Moscow, Vienna during Hitler's Anschluss, Estonia and
Latvia during the Soviet takeover, and Tehran at the
beginning of the last Shah's reign.
The portraits were created by Irena Wiley between the years
1934 and 1966, and offer a rarified eyewitness account of
the faces behind some of the most powerful moments in 20th
century world history. “It is a fascinating exercise to
view this collection of portraits within the context of
history,” explains the collector, “and specifically through
the lens of Irena's powerful ability to distill the salient
characteristics of the sitter.”
This exhibit marks the first time since 1947 - when her
work was shown at New York's prestigious Wildenstein
Gallery - that Irena Wiley's portraits have been on
display. The private collection will be augmented by
selected works on loan from Wiley's family, as well as
archival documents including correspondence and period
press pieces.
Once the collection was attributed to Irena Wiley, it was
discovered that she was an author as well as an artist, who
penned a book of memoirs titled Around the Globe in 20
Years. In the book, Irena Wiley writes with humor and
passion about her life as a diplomat's wife. Many of the
drawings in this exhibit are featured in Wiley's book.
Interviews with relatives of the Wileys have also helped to
fill in the gaps in their life story and Irena's
extraordinary artistic legacy. Among them are Irena Wiley's
great nephew Anthony Szulc and retired Washington D.C. art
dealer Barbara Fendrick. Barbara described the Wileys as a
devoted couple and Irena as a woman of unusual warmth and
spirit. “Everyone wanted to be around her, and she made
each and every person feel important,” says Fendrick.
John Wiley's diplomatic service planted the couple firmly
in some of the 20th century's most politically charged
environments. He was one of the first diplomats to be
stationed in Moscow following the Russian Revolution - this
was also the Wileys' first home as a married couple.
Wiley was Charge D'Affaires in Vienna when Nazi Germany
annexed Austria in 1938. Irena worked feverishly, through
correspondence, direct intervention, and any other means
possible, to help many Jewish residents escape deportation
by the Nazis.
The couple also spent time in Estonia and Latvia as part of
the last U.S. legation before the Soviet occupation. During
this time, Irena helped many people get out of the country
before the Soviets could take control.
Irena Wiley was a professionally trained artist who
attended the Slade School in London, the School for Applied
Arts in Vienna where Gustav Klimt studied, and the Warsaw
Institute of Fine Art.
She considered herself a sculptor first and foremost, but
today, very little of this work has been located. Her
best-known sculpture, originally donated to the Vatican but
missing today, was an altarpiece depicting St. Therese de
Lisieux. She used a very young John F. Kennedy, in 1939, as
a model for the angel in the altar frame.
The portraits include many notable figures in world history
including the last Shah of Iran and twin sister, Princess
Ashraf; Malek Mansur - a prominent Iranian tribal chief;
Otto von Habsburg; Teilhard de Chardin - author of The
Phenomenon of Man; and Edith Hamilton - author of
Mythologies. Also well represented in the collection are
prominent Washingtonians such as John Walker, director and
first curator of the National Gallery; prominent socialite
and journalist Kay Halle; and former Supreme Court Justice
William O. Douglas.
The collection will debut at a special evening reception at
Gold Leaf Studios on Thursday, June 19 from 6:00 to 8:00
p.m. Interviews with some of Wiley's family members will be
available at this event or can be scheduled separately.
The collection will remain on view at Gold Leaf Studios
until August 1, 2008, after which it is planned to travel
to the National Library and the Johan Laidoner Museum in
Estonia.
Gold Leaf Studios is located at 1523 22nd Street NW (rear),
Washington, DC.
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