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Catalog Data

Collection Creator:
Kiesler, Lillian, 1910?-2001  Search this
Extent:
(Box 1-39, 47-52, OV 53-57; 41.1 linear feet, ER01; 0.001 GB)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1910s-2003
Scope and Contents note:
Series 1 documents Lillian Kiesler's personal life and professional career as an artist, actor, teacher, arts benefactor and promoter of Frederick Kiesler's legacy. Biographical material (Subseries 1.1) includes diaries, address books, calendars and appointment books, mailing lists, guest lists, identification, medical records, obituaries, and personal writings by Lillian Kiesler and others. Lillian Kiesler's correspondence (Subseries 1.2) is extensive and primarily personal in nature, including letters and greeting cards from Etel Adnan, Alcopley, Fritz Bultman, Steve Buscemi, Mike Diamond, Burgoyne Diller, Lucia Dlugoszewski, Piero Dorazio, Jean Dubuffet, Jay Gottlieb, Erick Hawkins, Burgess Meredith, Henry Miller, James Purdy, and Herrel Thomas. There is some business correspondence with museums, galleries, and foundations, including John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, The University of Iowa Museum of Art, and Erick Hawkins Dance Foundation. Legal and financial files (Subseries 1.3) are related to Lillian Kiesler's estate and finances such as burial plans and her will. Teaching files (Subseries 1.4) include teaching plans and reference materials, essays, pamphlets, class lists, correspondence from schools, student artwork and essay assignments, notebooks, writings on teaching, and a book of weaving samples. Also included are writings about teaching art and lesson plans by New York University professor Chandler Montgomery. Exhibition and performance files (Subseries 1.5) contain correspondence, photographs, artwork, printed materials, scripts, rehearsal schedules, reviews, monographs and notes related to Kiesler's exhibitions and peformances dating from the 1970s-2001. Among the directors, artists and writers found are Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi, Cindy Lugar, Tim Miller and James Purdy. Artwork (Subseries 1.6) contains original drawings, sketches, photographs and notes by Lillian Kiesler and others, including photographs by Bob Del Fredici and drawings by Piero Dorazio. Subject files (Subseries 1.7) include collected materials about artists, friends, colleagues, performances, and organizations in which Lillian Kiesler supported, such as the Anthology Film Archives. Printed material (Subseries 1.8) includes collected postcards, magazines and magazine articles about art and performance, newspaper clippings about fellow artists, invitations and announcements, and exhibition catalogs, including several signed exhibition catalogs and a reprint article inscribed by Alcopley. Lillian Kiesler's library (Subseries 1.9) includes numerous monographs written by friends or about friends, most with inscriptions by authors. Found here are books inscribed by Max Weiler and Piero Dorazio, an inscribed first edition of Henry Miller's Black Spring (1936), and a 1937 monograph by Harry Holtzman titled American Abstract Artists. The Papers Related to Frederick Kiesler (Subseries 1.10) primarily were created or compiled by Lillian Kiesler and document Frederick Kiesler's legacy as an architect, sculptor, and set designer. It includes biographical material, correspondence, inventory lists, business and financial records, exhibition files, transcribed and recorded interviews, photocopied writings and notes, printed and digital material, photographs, slides, and negatives, and sound and video recordings. This subseries is divided into ten sub-subseries, with the arrangement described in detail in the subseries description. The bulk of the Papers of and Related to Hans Hofmann (Subseries 1.11) were created or compiled by Lillian Kielser and document Hofmann's career and legacy. It includes correspondence, exhibition files, interviews and writings about Hofmann, printed materials, photographs, and sound recordings about Hans Hofmann. However, also found are papers of Hans Hofmann including some correspondence, typed and handwritten lectures given by Hofmann, literature and brochures from the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts and three boxes of card files on students, and photographs of Hofmann. This subseries is divided into nine sub-subseries, with the arrangement described in detail in the subseries description. The personal papers of artist Alice Hodges (Subseries 1.12) include biographical material, correspondence, exhibition files, printed material, writings, personal items, artwork, and photographs. This subseries is divided into eight sub-subseries, with the arrangement described in detail in the subseries description. Photographic Material (Subseries 1.13) is mostly black and white and color snapshots of Lillian Kiesler's friends and family at events and at home, including candid photos of Hans Hofmann, Alice Hodges, Frederick Kiesler, and Alcopley. Slides include those of Frederick Kiesler's work prepared by Lillian for a lecture on him and are accompanied by her notes on index cards. Sound and Video Recordings (Subseries 1.14) document productions in which Lillian Kiesler performed, and music, film, or live stage performances written, directed, or performed by friends.
Arrangement note:
The series is arranged as 14 subseries: 1.1: Biographical Material, 1911-2002, undated 1.2: Correspondence, 1911-2001, undated 1.3: Legal and Financial Records, 1938-2001, undated 1.4: Teaching Files, 1938-1994, undated 1.5: Exhibition and Performance Files, 1945-2002, undated 1.6: Artwork, 1958-2001, undated 1.7: Subject Files, 1925, 1957-2000, undated 1.8: Printed Material, 1930-2002, undated 1.9: Lillian Kiesler Library, 1936-2000, undated 1.10: Papers Related to Frederick Kiesler, circa 1913-2003, undated 1.11: Papers of and Related to Hans Hofmann, 1932-2000, undated 1.12: Papers of Alice Hodges, circa 1910s-1965, undated 1.13: Photographic Material, circa 1920s-2000 1.14: Sound and Video Recordings, 1978-2001, undated
Collection Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Lillian and Frederick Kiesler papers, circa 1910s-2003, bulk 1958-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.kieslill, Series 1
See more items in:
Lillian and Frederick Kiesler papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw904369e71-f06d-4935-a1ea-4cdecd6ad3e6
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-aaa-kieslill-ref15