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Creator:
Ribicoff, Belle Krasne, 1924-  Search this
Names:
Storm King Art Center  Search this
Wadsworth Atheneum  Search this
Albee, Edward, 1928-  Search this
Arp, Jean, 1887-1966  Search this
Ashton, Dore  Search this
Bailey, William, 1930-2020  Search this
Bazaine, Jean, 1904-2001  Search this
Benn, Ben, 1884-  Search this
Bloom, Claire, 1931-  Search this
Chelimsky, Oscar  Search this
Cornell, Joseph  Search this
D'Harnoncourt, Rene, 1901-1968  Search this
De Vries, Peter, 1910-1993  Search this
Dorazio, Piero, 1927-  Search this
Dorazio, Virginia Dortch  Search this
Ferren, John, 1905-1970  Search this
Fitzsimmons, James, 1919-1985  Search this
Foote, Horton  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Geist, Sidney  Search this
Gottlieb, Adolph, 1903-1974  Search this
Graham, John, 1887-1961  Search this
Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this
Greene, Balcomb, 1904-1990  Search this
Holty, Carl, 1900-1973  Search this
Kazan, Elia  Search this
Kelly, Ellsworth, 1923-  Search this
Krautheimer, Richard, 1897-  Search this
Lamos, Mark  Search this
Lebrun, Rico, 1900-1964  Search this
Matisse, Pierre, 1900-1989  Search this
Morris, George L. K., 1905-1975  Search this
Parsons, Estelle  Search this
Pearlstein, Philip, 1924-  Search this
Ribicoff, Abraham, 1910-1998  Search this
Richardson, Edgar Preston, 1902-1985  Search this
Ritchie, Andrew Carnduff  Search this
Rosenborg, Ralph M., 1913-1992  Search this
Roszak, Theodore, 1907-1981  Search this
Saarinen, Eero, 1910-1961  Search this
Salpeter, Harry  Search this
Shapiro, Karl Jay, 1913-  Search this
Skinner, Cornelia Otis, 1901-  Search this
Smith, David, 1906-1965  Search this
Soby, James Thrall, 1906-1979  Search this
Travers, P. L.(Pamela Lyndon), 1899-1996  Search this
Valentin, Curt, 1902-1954  Search this
Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1972  Search this
Yunkers, Adja, 1900-1983  Search this
Extent:
1.6 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Sketches
Drafts (documents)
Photographs
Prints
Illustrated letters
Postcards
Christmas cards
Date:
1942-circa 2010
bulk 1945-2004
Summary:
The papers of Belle Krasne Ribicoff measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1942-circa 2010, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945-2004. Papers include biographical materials; correspondence with artists, art historians, writers, museum directors, and others; individual files relating to Belle and Irving Ribicoff's art collection and the Friends of Abe Ribicoff's campaign for the United States Senate; artwork; printed material, e.g., clippings, announcements, exhibition catalogues, brochures; and photographs. The collection documents Ribicoff's career as an arts editor, critic, and her involvement in civic and arts organizations for the State of Connecticut.
Scope and Content Note:
The papers of Belle Krasne Ribicoff measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1942-circa 2010, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945-2004. Papers include biographical materials; correspondence with artists, art historians, writers, museum directors, and others; individual files relating to Belle and Irving Ribicoff's art collection and the Friends of Abe Ribicoff's campaign for the United States Senate; artwork; printed material, e.g., clippings, announcements, exhibition catalogues, brochures; and photographs. The collection documents Ribicoff's career as an arts editor, critic, and her involvement in civic and arts organizations for the State of Connecticut. Biographical materials include documentation of the Buttenweiser Prize awarded to Belle Krasne by the Art History Departmental Honors at Vassar College in 1945 and curriculum vitae. Correspondence, primarily incoming letters consists of letters, postcards, draft versions, and copies of e-mails. Belle Krasne Ribicoff was friends with many artists; their letters focus on daily activities, work, and the art world. Among the correspondents are Oscar and Eleanor Chelminsky, Joseph Cornell, Piero and Virginia Dorazio, John and Rae Ferren, Helen Frankenthaler, James Fitzsimmons, Adolph Gottlieb, John Graham, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Modell, George L.K. Morris, Philip Pearlstein, Eero Saarinen, David Smith, and Adja Yunkers. There is substantial correspondence from Ben Benn, Sidney Geist, Leon Hartley, Ralph Rosenborg, and Theodore Roszak. Also found are love letters to Belle Krasne Ribicoff from Jean Bazaine. Many of the artists' letters are illustrated. Of note, are a letter from Carl Holty to J.B. Neumann and an artist's statement written by Adolph Gottlieb. Ribicoff had a professional and personal relationship with a number of prominent writers, actors, and other individuals known for their work in the arts, such as Edward Albee, Claire Bloom, Peter DeVries, Horton Foote, Elia Kazan, Mark Lamos, Estelle Parsons, Karl Shapiro, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and P.L. Travers. There are letters from museum directors, art historians, and other well-known cultural figures, such as Dore Ashton, Clement Greenberg, Balcomb Greene, Rene d'Harnoncourt, Pierre Matisse, E. P. Richardson, Andrew C. Ritchie, Harry Salpeter, Curt Valentin, and Mark Van Doren. Also found are files of holiday cards, many original artwork; letters to Ribicoff upon her departure from Art Digest; letters from representatives at Storm King Art Center Museum and the Wadsworth Atheneum; and letters from unidentified correspondents. The Ribicoff collection relates to the personal art collection of Belle and Irving Ribicoff; materials document the purchase and sale of artwork and the lending of artwork for exhibitions. There is a file of petition letters sponsored by the Friends of Abe Ribicoff campaign for the United States Senate. Original artwork includes prints by Jean Arp and Adja Yunkers and pencil sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey. Printed material consists of news clippings; a periodical; exhibition announcements; brochures; an offprint of an article by Cleve Gray; and miscellaneous printed material. Photographs contain black and white photographs of Belle Krasne Ribicoff, Ben and Velida Benn, Richard Krautheimer, and of the jurors attending the Carnegie International exhibition (circa 1954), including Jean Bazaine, Rico Lebrun, Eric Newton, and James Thrall Soby.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into 7 series: Missing Title Series 1: Biographical Material, 1945, circa 2010 (Box 1; 1 folder) Series 2: Belle Krasne Ribicoff Correspondence, 1942-2007 (Boxes 1, 3; 1.0 linear feet) Series 3: The Ribicoff Collection, 1949-1988 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet) Series 4: Friends of Abe Ribicoff Campaign, 1968 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet) Series 5: Artwork, circa 1950s-1978 (Box 1, OV 4; 0.1 linear feet) Series 6: Printed Material, 1948-2000 (Box 1; 0.1 linear feet) Series 7: Photographs, 1945-circa 2007 (Boxes 1-2; 0.1 linear feet)
Biographical Note:
Belle Krasne Ribicoff (b. 1924) lives in Hartford, Connecticut and has served as an arts editor, critic, and university administrator. Ribicoff was born and raised in New York City. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in art history from Vassar College in 1945. After a brief stint with an advertising agency in New York, Ribicoff became Assistant Editor at Magazine of Art (1946-1947), where she developed an interest in contemporary art. She served as editor for such publications as Art News (1948-1949), Art Digest (1949-1954), and Craft Horizons (1954-1955). In 1955, she married Irving S. Ribicoff (1915-1994), an attorney and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. The Ribicoffs' had two daughters, Dara (b. 1956) and Sarai (1957-1980). Ribicoff has held various positions at the University of Hartford: Development Director at the Hartford School of Art (1980-1981), Development Liaison to the Office of President (1982-1988), and Associate Vice President for Public Affairs (1980-1983). Belle Krasne Ribicoff has served as a professional volunteer for educational and cultural organizations in Connecticut; she has been involved in efforts to make the arts a part of the school curriculum. She was Vice-President of the Hartford Board of Education (1961-1967; 1965-1971) and was Chairman of the State of Connecticut's Commission on the Arts (1965-1971). Ribicoff is a Life Director at the Hartford Stage Company and a Life Regent at the University of Hartford. She is a Sterling Fellows at Yale University and sits on the President's Advisory Committee at Vassar College. Belle Krasne Ribicoff has received recognition for her professional and public service contributions by a number of institutions. In 1954, she received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for critical writing from the College Art Association. Other honors have included: Charter Oak Leadership Medal for Distinguished Service (1968), the University of Hartford Medal for Distinguished Service (1995), and the Spirit of Vassar award for outstanding commitment and service to Vassar or another community (2005).
Related Material:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is Belle Krasne's letter to Philip Pavia, May 14, 1954 on microfilm reel 3470.
Provenance:
The collection was donated by Belle Krasne Ribicoff to the Archives of American Art in 2008.
Restrictions:
Use of original material requires an appointment. Letters from Jean Bazaine to Belle Krasne Ribicoff and sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey are access restricted. Their use requires written permission.
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:
Art critics -- Connecticut  Search this
Editors -- Connecticut  Search this
Women art critics  Search this
Administrators -- Connecticut  Search this
Topic:
Art -- Collectors and collecting  Search this
Art, American  Search this
Genre/Form:
Sketches
Drafts (documents)
Photographs
Prints
Illustrated letters
Postcards
Christmas cards
Citation:
Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers, 1942-circa 2010 bulk 1945-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.krasbell2
See more items in:
Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw91c413ec6-93d1-49eb-aefe-563ddcb130b4
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-krasbell2