Due to prior arrangement on microfilm the papers are arranged as one series.
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Summary:
The papers of New York sculptor Saul Baizerman measure 3 linear feet and date from circa 1916-1963. The collection documents Baizerman's career through biographical information, writings by Baizerman including poems, lectures, plays, and writings on art, a few exhibition records, drawings and sketches, printed material, photographs of Baizerman and his work, and a dismantled scrapbook.
Citation:
Saul Baizerman papers, circa 1916-1963. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The collection has been microfilmed on reels N61-1 through N61-6. The microfilm has been digitized and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Location of Originals:
Circa 300 sketches and circa 50 photographs are in the possession of Joan Hay Baizerman.
Funding:
Funding for the digitization of the microfilm for this collection was provided in part by The Walton Family Foundation.
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.
Related Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds the Haim Mendelson correspondence with Saul Baizerman and others, 1946-1957 and the Julius Samuel Held papers relating to Saul Baizerman and Leonard Baskin, 1947-1976.
Biography Note:
Born in Russia, New York sculptor Saul Baizerman (1889-1957) was known for his technique of hammering copper by hand to create relief sculptures. His deep sympathies for the labor movement and social causes informed his focus on the urban poor and manual worker as primary subjects for his work.
Baizerman came to the United States in 1910, settling in New York City, and subsequently trained as a sculptor at several art schools. In the 1920s he began shaping copper by hand in a process that involved forcefully hammering both sides of a copper sheet until an image appeared in relief. Two of Baizerman's most well-known works were a series of small-scale statuettes entitled "The City and the People" which he worked on throughout his life, and a "Labor" series. Baizerman also completed larger outdoor sculptures.
From 1934 to 1940 Baizerman taught sculpture, drawing, and anatomy classes at his own art institute, the Baizerman Art School. Thereafter, he continued to teach at the American Artists School and the University of Southern California, but focused primarily on his own artwork.
Baizerman was married to painter Eugenie Baizerman from 1920 until her death in 1949. Baizerman died of cancer at the age of 68.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Joan Hay Baizerman, Saul Baizerman's second wife, loaned the papers to the Archives of American Art for microfilming in 1964. She subsequently donated the papers in 1971 with the exception of circa 300 sketches and circa 50 photographs from the original loan.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Saul L. Baizerman in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2024 from 6 reels of microfilm, and total 4,208 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
