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Peter and Rose Krasnow papers

Creator:
Krasnow, Peter, 1886-1979  Search this
Names:
Peter Krasnow Arts Foundation  Search this
United States. Aircraft Warning Service. Ground Observer Corps  Search this
Blades, Harriet  Search this
Budnick, Dan  Search this
Burton, Leslie  Search this
Clements, Grace, 1905-1969  Search this
Cocker, Conrad  Search this
Danieli, Fidel  Search this
DeLuce, Robert  Search this
Drake, Alfred S.  Search this
Howe, Dudley  Search this
Krasnow, Rose, 1885-1984  Search this
Morley, Grace, 1900-1985  Search this
Noer, Philip  Search this
Owen, Dale  Search this
Owen, Elaine  Search this
Price, Aimée Brown, 1939-  Search this
Raboff, Ernest Lloyd  Search this
Raboff, Ina  Search this
Stone, Irving, 1903-  Search this
Weston, Edward, 1886-1958  Search this
Weston, Edward, 1886-1958 -- Photographs  Search this
Weston, Flora -- Photographs  Search this
Extent:
6.9 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Sketches
Diaries
Poems
Notes
Essays
Short stories
Prints
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Date:
1914-1984
Summary:
The papers of painter, printmaker, and sculptor Peter Krasnow (1886-1979) and his wife, writer Rose Krasnow (1885-1984), measures 6.9 linear feet and date from 1914 to 1984. Papers include biographical materials, a sound recording, correspondence, essays, poetry, short stories, notes, transcripts of lectures and radio talks, five diaries of Peter Krasnow, personal business records, exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, magazines, five sketchbooks, sketches and drawings in multiple media, prints, and photographs.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of painter, printmaker, and sculptor Peter Krasnow (1886-1979) and his wife, writer Rose Krasnow (1885-1984), measures 6.9 linear feet and date from 1914 to 1984. Papers include biographical materials, a sound recording, correspondence, essays, poetry, short stories, notes, transcripts of lectures and radio talks, five diaries of Peter Krasnow, personal business records, exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, magazines, five sketchbooks, sketches and drawings in multiple media, prints, and photographs.

Biographical materials include documentation of Rose Krasnow's service as a member of the Army Air Forces Ground Observer Corps, programs and other materials from various memorial services, a sound recording with commentary on a Peter Krasnow exhibition, and documentation of a project to publish Rose Krasnow's poetry.

Correspondence consists of Peter and Rose Krasnow's personal and professional correspondence as well as a small amount of third party correspondence. Personal correspondence with friends and family involves health, work, daily events, and other life updates. Professional correspondence with art dealers, curators, gallery and museum directors, collectors, and colleges and universities concerns exhibitions, sales, loans, and donations of artwork. Primary correspondents include Leslie Burton and Harriet Blades, Dan Budnik, Grace Clements, Conrad Crocker, Dudley Howe, Lilly Weil Jaffe, Grace L. McCann Morley, Dale and Elaine Owen, Aimée Brown Price, Ernest and Ina Raboff, Irving Stone, and Edward Weston. There are also numerous scattered letters from artists, writers, curators, critics, museums, arts associations, and Jewish organizations.

Writings and notes are by Peter Krasnow, Rose Krasnow, and others. Writings by Peter Krasnow include a draft autobiography, essays, lectures on wood sculpture, typescripts, notes, and writings on art. Writings by Rose Krasnow include essays, plays, poetry, and short stories. Writings by others consist of essays, lectures, notes, plays, poetry, short stories, and typescripts. Other writers include Grace Clements, Fidel Danieli, Robert DeLuce, Alfred S. Drake, and Philip Noer. There are also five handwritten personal diaries by Peter Krasnow.

Personal business records include Rose Krasnow's bank book from 1980, Peter Krasnow's naturalization certificate and passport, an inventory of paintings on index cards, tax applications for the Peter Krasnow Arts Foundation, materials relating to Peter Krasnow's estate and the purchase of his artwork, and various receipts.

Printed materials include exhibition catalogs and announcements, clippings, bound books, magazines and journals, a Chicago Society of Artists block print calendar, and two printed posters from Peter Krasnow's exhibit at the Galerie Pierre in 1934.

Artwork is mostly by Peter Krasnow, and includes five sketchbooks, sketches and drawings, watercolors, preliminary studies in oil, and prints.

Photographs include personal photographs, photographs of major sculpture projects in progress, and artwork. Personal photographs are of Peter and Rose, family members, and friends, as well as a few scattered images of landscapes and architecture, possibly travel photographs. There are also photographs of Edward and Flora Weston. There are three photograph albums, one contains images of Krasnow's relief sculptures for the Sinai Temple's Kohn Chapel. Two photograph albums were compliled by Susan Ehrlich for Peter and Rose Krasnow. Also found are photographs of works of art. Some of the photographs in the papers were taken by Dan Budnik.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series:

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1942-1983 (Boxes 1, 6; 7 folders)

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1930-1984 (Box 1; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 3: Writings and Notes, circa 1916-1980 (Boxes 1-2; 1.3 linear feet)

Series 4: Diaries, circa 1955-1968 (Box 2-3; 5 folders)

Series 5: Personal Business Records, circa 1914-1982 (Box 3; 0.4 linear feet)

Series 6: Printed Materials, circa 1922-1981 (Boxes 3-4 and OV 9; 1.1 linear feet)

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1918-1980 (Boxes 4-6 and OV 7-8, 10; 1.5 linear feet)

Series 8: Sketchbooks, circa 1918-1973 (Box 5; 5 folders)

Series 9: Photographs, circa 1914-1981 (Boxes 5-6; 0.6 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Peter Krasnow (1886-1979) was a painter, sculptor, and printmaker who lived and worked primarily in Southern California. His wife, Rose Krasnow (1885-1984), was a prolific writer of poems, short stories, and plays.

Peter Krasnow was born on August 20, 1886 in the Ukraine, Russia to Jewish parents. His father's work as an interior designer inspired Krasnow's interest in art.

In 1907, Krasnow emigrated to the United States, first living in Boston. He moved to Chicago in 1908 to attend the Art Institute of Chicago, where he met his future wife, Rose Bloom. To support himself during his studies, Krasnow worked as a security officer and performed other manual jobs. He graduated from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1916 and married Rose that same year.

The Krasnows moved to New York in 1919. In New York, Krasnow experienced some artistic success, participating in group and solo exhibitions at the Whitney Studio Club. During this time period, Krasnow often painted city scenes using a dark color palette.

In 1922, the Krasnows moved to Los Angeles, California. Krasnow built a studio near Glendale in 1923, on land purchased from photographer and friend Edward Weston. The studio also served as the Krasnows' main residence for the rest of their lives. In 1923 in Los Angeles, Krasnow exhibited with the Group of Independent Artists, which included Stanton Macdonald-Wright, Boris Deutsch, Nick Brigante, Ben Berlin, and other noteworthy artists. During his first years in California, Krasnow mostly created watercolor paintings, including a series of landscapes, using a lighter color palette than his earlier works. In the 1920s, Krasnow also accepted commissions for carved wood reliefs at the Temple Emmanu-El in San Francisco and the Sinai Temple in Los Angeles.

Krasnow received a grant in 1931, and he and Rose temporarily relocated to the Dordogne region of France, where they lived until 1934. During this time, Krasnow painted a series of watercolors and paintings of the French landscape. Before returning to the United States, Krasnow exhibited these landscapes at the Galerie Pierre.

After returning to California, Krasnow began creating carved wood sculptures, which he named 'demountables,' often using wood from trees on his property. Krasnow created these sculptures to celebrate the organic shapes inherent in wood.

In 1934, Krasnow returned to painting, this time creating bright, colorful, geometric designs which often incorporated symbolism from his Jewish heritage. Krasnow focused on these paintings through the remaining years of his life. In 1977, Krasnow received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Peter Krasnow died on October 30, 1979 in Los Angeles. Rose Krasnow died five years later, in 1984.
Provenance:
The Peter and Rose Krasnow papers were donated in several increments between 1976 and 1998 by Peter Krasnow, the Estate of Peter Krasnow, and the Peter and Rose Krasnow Foundation.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Wood-carvers -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Topic:
Jewish artists  Search this
Printmakers -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketchbooks
Photographs
Sketches
Diaries
Poems
Notes
Essays
Short stories
Prints
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Citation:
Peter and Rose Krasnow papers, 1914-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.kraspete
See more items in:
Peter and Rose Krasnow papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9ed81e16a-9b16-46be-912e-4e7c0b6db0c6
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-kraspete
Online Media:

Oral history interview with Dorr Bothwell

Interviewee:
Bothwell, Dorr  Search this
Interviewer:
McChesney, Mary Fuller  Search this
Creator:
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Names:
Federal Art Project (Calif.)  Search this
New Deal and the Arts Oral History Project  Search this
Public Works of Art Project  Search this
Clements, Grace, 1905-1969  Search this
Feitelson, Lorser, 1898-1978  Search this
Macdonald-Wright, Stanton, 1890-1973  Search this
Extent:
16 Pages (Transcript)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Pages
Sound recordings
Interviews
Date:
1965 February 27
Scope and Contents:
An interview of Dorr Bothwell conducted 1965 February 27, by Mary Fuller McChesney, for the Archives of American Art. Bothwell describes her education and art training in San Francisco; painting for the Public Works of Art Project; Federal Art Project murals in Los Angeles; effects of the federal projects on her artistic development; and friends and colleagues Grace Clements, Lorser Feitelson, and Stanton Macdonald-Wright.
Biographical / Historical:
Dorr Bothwell Mural (1902-2000) was a painter and printmaker from Joshua Tree, California. Charter member of the Society of San Francisco Women Artists. Co-wrote "Notan: the Dark-Light Principle of Design."
General:
Originally recorded on 1 sound tape reel. Reformatted in 2010 as 1 digital wav file. Duration is 58 min.
Provenance:
Conducted as part of the Archives of American Art's New Deal and the Arts project, which includes over 400 interviews of artists, administrators, historians, and others involved with the federal government's art programs and the activities of the Farm Security Administration in the 1930s and early 1940s.
Occupation:
Muralists -- California  Search this
Painters -- California  Search this
Art teachers -- California  Search this
Printmakers -- California  Search this
Topic:
Women artists  Search this
Women painters  Search this
Women educators  Search this
Women printmakers  Search this
Federal aid to the arts  Search this
Women muralists  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sound recordings
Interviews
Identifier:
AAA.bothwe65
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9e791fbe4-04c2-493e-ad4c-5ebe5a8a2603
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-bothwe65
Online Media:

David W. Forsberg papers relating to Grace Clements

Creator:
Forsberg, David W., 1919-  Search this
Names:
Clements, Grace, 1905-1969  Search this
Extent:
0.2 Linear feet ((34 items))
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
1955-1970
Scope and Contents:
26 letters, 1959 and 1963-1968, between Forsberg and Grace Clements in which they discuss art, astrology and contemporary events; a copy of Clements' last will and testament, dated August 28, 1962; a "Notice of hearing of petition for the removal of executor for the estate of Grace Clements DeLuce" dated November 27, 1970, and carbon of a letter from Forsberg to the attorneys for the petitioner.
Writings by Grace Clements include: a typescript of "An Abstraction is a Reality," 1944, which was published in ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE; scripts for the radio programs "Art in Our Time" (1955), "The Symbols of Christmas" (1955) and "The Art of Teaching Art" (1957) presented over KPFA Radio Station, Berkeley, California; a manuscript entitled "...but is it ART" compiled from articles previously published between 1932-1947 in ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE (clippings of published articles are also included); and the script of a lecture given by Clements at the American Federation of Arts convention, Washington, D.C., 1966, entitled "Plato, Uranus and Modern Art: the Armory Show-1913."
Biographical / Historical:
David Forsberg and Grace Clements both worked as writers for the magazine ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE from ca. 1943-1949. Forsberg later established the San Francisco Literary Agency; however, this business failed in 1967, and Forsberg went on to a series of free lance writing assignments and other jobs. Grace Clements wrote a regular column for ARTS AND ARCHITECTURE under the heading "An Abstraction is a Reality." She was married to the astrologer Robert De Luce, and was also a serious student of astrology.
Provenance:
Donated 1985 by David W. Forsberg.
Restrictions:
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.
Occupation:
Art critics  Search this
Identifier:
AAA.forsdavi
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw9626c4308-ae6a-4988-955f-3ce000351871
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-forsdavi

Commentary by Grace Clements on a Peter Krasnow exhibition, episode of the Art in our time KPFA radio series

Creator:
Clements, Grace, 1905-1969  Search this
Subject:
Krasnow, Peter  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1954 April 8
Citation:
Grace Clements. Commentary by Grace Clements on a Peter Krasnow exhibition, episode of the Art in our time KPFA radio series, 1954 April 8. Peter and Rose Krasnow papers, 1914-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Exhibitions  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)16074
See more items in:
Peter and Rose Krasnow papers, 1914-1984
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_16074

Commentary by Grace Clements on two exhibitions at the De Young Museum, episode of the Art in our time KPFA radio series

Creator:
Clements, Grace, 1905-1969  Search this
Subject:
M.H. De Young Memorial Museum  Search this
Type:
Sound Recording
Date:
1954 May 5
Citation:
Grace Clements. Commentary by Grace Clements on two exhibitions at the De Young Museum, episode of the Art in our time KPFA radio series, 1954 May 5. Peter and Rose Krasnow papers, 1914-1984. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Children's art  Search this
Mental illness  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA)16075
See more items in:
Peter and Rose Krasnow papers, 1914-1984
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_item_16075

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