Erika Duncan (1901-1984)
- Primary teachers: Elizabeth Duncan | Isadora Duncan
- Region: Europe
Erika Duncan, born Erika Lohman in 1901 in Hamburg, Germany, was the youngest of the Isadorables, only four when she joined the Grunewald school. By 1915 in New York, she was described in the Sun as “being the youngest, … also the most serious” (Kurth, Isadora, A Sensational Life, p. 329). She was the first to leave the group of the Isadorables, deciding in 1920 to end her career as a dancer, and to study painting with Wienold Reiss. Loewenthal (pgs. 83-86) describes Erika’s enjoyment of the beautiful, remote Connecticut landscapes where she lived, which often became subjects for her art. Devastated by Reiss’ premature and sudden death, Erika eventually converted to Catholicism. A productive and creative artist, Erika’s expression of ‘ecstasy’ once expressed in her dance was transferred to her religiously themed artwork. She was a reclusive, but successful artist.
Affiliations
Isadora Duncan Dancers (Isadorables)
Related items in the Archives
The Collection of Janaea Rose Lyn (McAlee) > Photos > Isadorables
The San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design > Programs > Isadorables — Dec 28, 1919
The Collection of Christy Cornell-Pape > Programs > April 1920 Isadorables program — Apr 06, 1920
The Collection of Louise Craig Gerber > Programs > Isadorables Performance
The Collection of Janaea Rose Lyn (McAlee) > Programs > Isadorables