Erika Giovanna Klien

Erika Giovanna Klien (1900-1957) began her studies in 1919 at the Kunstgewerbeshule (School of Applied Arts) in Vienna as a student of professor Franz Cizek. Cizek, who was regarded as an innovator in the field of art education, encouraged his pupils’ creativity through methods of movement and spontaneity. His approach is known as Viennese Kineticism, which brought together elements of futurism, cubism, and constructivism. After graduating, Klien worked as Cizek's teaching assistant and in 1929 emigrated to the United States. Between 1930 and 1940 she taught simultaneously at four American educational institutions. The documentary film "Searching for Erika" explores the life and art of Erika Giovanna Klien.