Charles Green Shaw c1945 © Smithsonian Archives of American Art Charles Green Shaw (1892 - 1974) was a significant figure in American abstract art. Shaw enjoyed a varied career as a writer an illustrator, poet, modernist painter, and collector. Born to a wealthy family and orphaned at a young age, Charles and his twin brother were raised by their uncle, Frank D. Shaw. At age nine, he was already an avid painter and had illustrated his first book, "The Costumes of Nations." He also wrote and…