This collection consists of five series. Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1979-2021 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1) Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1989-2017 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1) Series 3: Writings, circa 1954-2017 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1) Series 4: Printed Materials, circa 1952-2023 (1.9 Linear feet: Boxes 1, 2, 4, and 5) Series 5: Photographic Materials, circa 1932-2007 (.8 Linear feet: Boxes 3, 5, and 6)
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of painter and printmaker Robert Kipniss measure 3.2 linear feet and date from circa 1932-2023. They illustrate his career through biographical material, correspondence, writings, and printed and photographic material.
Citation:
Robert Kipniss papers, circa 1932-2023. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Funding:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
Use Note:
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Biography Note:
Robert Kipniss (1931-) is a painter and printmaker who works mainly in New York.
Kipniss was born in Brooklyn, New York. During his childhood he attended New York's Art Students League when he was sixteen on Saturdays and he began college in 1948, attending Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio for two years before transferring to the University of Iowa. After graduating with a B.A. in English Kipniss stayed at the university and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1954. After gaining this degree he, and his former wife Jean, moved to Manhattan and Kipniss was drafted into the United States Army in 1956 where he used his talent to create training aids.
Kipniss has written poetry, published books, and illustrated two volumes of poetry. He is known for his paintings, lithographs, and mezzotints. His early work was with paintings focusing on abstracts, biomorphic forms, landscapes, still lifes, and figures. The lithographs he later created followed this style. Kipniss did not fully focus on mezzotints until 1990 and had his first solo mezzotint show in 1992.
Since 1965 Kipniss has had more than twenty-two museum exhibitions around the world and his work is held by more than eighty-eight museums and institutions.
Kipniss currently maintains a studio on the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York and is married to his second wife Laurie Lisle.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Papers donated in 2013 by Robert Kipniss and in 2024 by Laurie Lisle, Kipniss' spouse.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
