Who is Liesl?

Portrait of Elizabeth Burger Monath next to her artwork

Elizabeth Burger Monath is Andrea’s grandmother on her father’s side. Nicknamed Liesl, she was born in Vienna to Emma and Dr. Karl Burger. She was known for intaglio printmaking, painting of animals and landscapes, book writing and
illustration.

Liesl trained at the Academy of Fine and Applied Art and the Graphische Lehr und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna. She studied with Fernand Léger and Amadee Ozenfant in Paris, and with Moses Soyer in New York City. She illustrated Peter Rabbit read-a-long, wrote and illustrated Topper and the Giants, for which she received mention in Eleanor Roosevelt’s My Day column. She went on to illustrate and write many other children’s books published by Shuster & Shuster, and The Viking Press.

Her work is in the collections of the British Museum, the United Nations Headquarters, Princeton University, the New Jersey State Museum, and many others.

Liesl’s artwork and life is the inspiration and catalyst behind Andrea’s passion to bring a product line to life.