An early student of the Bauhaus School in Germany, Drewes, a student and friend of Kandinsky, excelled with the freedom, color, and new art rules of the Bauhaus. He studied and practiced with the group from 1921- 1928, when political turmoil drove Drewes to leave Europe and emigrate to New York.

Drewes quickly found himself at the heart of the New York art scene. In 1936, he helped establish the American Artists Congress and the Société Anonyme, and in 1937 he became a founding member of the American Abstract Artists. Drewes, who created in a multitude of mediums, excelled at woodblock prints, which the WPA recognized during this time and gave him a position as print supervisor. Simultaneous to his physical work, Drewes held teaching positions at Brooklyn College, Columbia University, and the Chicago School of Design – ultimately leading to his tenured position at Washington University in St. Louis.

In 1946, Drewes arrived at the St. Louis School of Fine Art – Washington University, a thriving artists’ community. In his early years at WashU, he worked alongside famed German Expressionist Max Beckmann. In their time as contemporaries, they each created important works of art and laid the groundwork for decades of significant artwork to come from the school.