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Joseph Randall Shapiro and Jory Shapiro papers, 1943-1985

Catalog Data

Creator:
Shapiro, Joseph Randall, 1904-1996  Search this
Shapiro, Jory, 1911-1993  Search this
Subject:
Chagall, Marc  Search this
Tanguy, Yves  Search this
Golub, Leon  Search this
Hoff, Margo  Search this
Ito, Miyoko  Search this
Janis, Sidney  Search this
Lanyon, Ellen  Search this
Matisse, Pierre  Search this
Pattison, Abbott L. (Abbott Lawrence)  Search this
Petlin, Irving  Search this
Rattner, Abraham  Search this
Sage, Kay  Search this
Baj, Enrico  Search this
Bohrod, Aaron  Search this
Buehr, George Frederick  Search this
Cuevas, José Luis  Search this
Place of publication, production, or execution:
Other
Physical Description:
0.6 Linear feet, (on 1 microfilm reel)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
Letters, scrapbooks, and printed material documenting the development of the Shapiro's art collection. Correspondence, primarily from dealers, museums, art organizations and artists, includes letters from Enrico Baj, Aaron Bohrod (recommending Ben Shahn as a muralist), George Buehr, Jose Luis Cuevas, Leon Golub, Margo Hoff, Miyoko Ito, Sidney Janis, Ellen Lanyon, Pierre Matisse, Ida Meyer-Chagall (discussing her father's work), Abbott Pattison, Irving Petlin, Abraham Rattner, and Kay Sage Tanguy (discussing her husband's work). Printed material consists of 11 exhibition announcements and catalogs (1952-1984), and clippings (1965-1985).
Four scrapbooks (1943-1955) contain clippings, some dealing with the "Art to Live With" program, exhibition catalogs, a letter from Richard Daley (1958), a 3-page typescript "Surrealism Then and Now" by Doris Lane Butler (1958), press releases (1959), and a letter from R. J. Nedved of the Illinois Society of Architects (1967).
Citation:
Joseph Randall Shapiro and Jory Shapiro papers, 1943-1985. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
35mm microfilm reel 3759 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Biography Note:
Born 1904. Died 1996. Joseph Shapiro began collecting in 1942 and was drawn to works in the Surrealist tradition. While establishing one of the most important art collections in Chicago, Shapiro and his wife Jory enjoyed personal friendships with artists and used their collection to educate and increase public appreciation of modern art in Chicago. Shapiro was a founder of the Museum of Contemporary Art and served on its board as President from 1967 until 1974.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Material on reel 3759 (fr. 1-320) donated 1986; and material on fr. 323-569 lent for microfilming 1986 all by Joseph R. Shapiro.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Art, Modern -- 20th century -- Illinois -- Chicago  Search this
Surrealism -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource  Search this
Patronage  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9547
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211747
AAA_collcode_shapjose
Theme:
Chicago's Art-Related Archival Materials: A Terra Foundation Resource
Patronage
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211747