The papers of artist and educator Craig Kauffman measure 4.6 linear feet and date from 1946 to 1997. The collection comprises biographical materials including address books, 10 day journals, identification documents, oral history transcripts, student records, and a few writings; correspondence with Lisa Adams, Billy Al Bengston, Alan Lynch, Ed Moses, and Babe Shapiro; and correspondence between Kauffman and his family. Also found are records documenting Kauffman's professional and business activities; printed materials featuring Kauffman, his exhibitions, and artwork; and photographic materials and moving images that include portraits and snapshots of Kauffman, personal photographs, photos of travel and works of art, and 3 unidentified film reels.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of artist and educator Craig Kauffman measure 4.6 linear feet and date from 1946 to 1997. The collection comprises biographical materials including address books, 10 day journals, identification documents, oral history transcripts, student records, and a few writings; correspondence with Lisa Adams, Billy Al Bengston, Alan Lynch, Ed Moses, and Babe Shapiro; and correspondence between Kauffman and his family. Also found are records documenting Kauffman's professional and business activities; printed materials featuring Kauffman, his exhibitions, and artwork; and photographic materials and moving images that include portraits and snapshots of Kauffman, personal photographs, photos of travel and works of art, and 3 unidentified film reels.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as five series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1950-1990 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1956-1996 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 1-2, 6)
Series 3: Professional and Business Records, 1950-1996 (0.6 linear feet; Boxes 2, 6)
Series 4: Printed Materials, 1946-1997 (2.2 linear feet; Boxes 2-4, 6, OV 7)
Series 5: Photographic Materials and Moving Images, circa 1940-circa 1980s (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 4-6)
Biographical / Historical:
Craig Kauffman (1932-2010) was an artist and educator in Los Angeles, California.
Kauffman was born in Los Angeles to Judge Kurtz and Margaret Kauffman. He attended the University of Southern California School of Architecture in Los Angeles before transferring to the University of California in Los Angeles where he received both his bachelor's degree in 1955 and master's degree in 1956.
After several years working from a San Francisco studio and associating with the leading Bay Area artists, he returned to Southern California where he became an original member of the legendary Ferus Gallery group that included artists John Altoon, Ed Moses, Ed Kienholz, Billy Al Benston, Robert Irwin, Larry Bell, and Ed Ruscha. The group was founded by Kienholz and Kauffman's high school friend Walter Hopps. Beginning as an abstract expressionist, Kauffman quickly became known as one of California's leading finish-fetish and, later, light and space artists because of his minimalist styled vacuum-formed wall sculptures using acrylic plastics.
Kauffman began teaching art at the University of California, Irvine in 1967 and retired in 1994. He was also an instructor at the School of Visual Art in New York. Throughout his career, Kauffman was an avid traveler and spent much of his retirement living in the Philippines while continuing to exhibit and create new works.
Kauffman died in Angeles, Philippines in 2010.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Lisa Adams letters from Craig Kauffman, 1986-1991.
Provenance:
The Craig Kauffman papers were donated 1997 by Craig Kauffman.
Restrictions:
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.
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.
