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Catalog Data

Creator:
Archipenko, Alexander, 1887-1964  Search this
Subject:
Spies, Walter  Search this
Archipenko, Frances  Search this
Archipenko, Angelica  Search this
Archipenko Art School (Woodstock, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Transcripts
Sound recordings
Scrapbooks
Photographs
Place of publication, production, or execution:
Other
Physical Description:
19.5 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 10 series. Lantern slides and glass plates are housed separately and closed to researchers, but listed where they fall intellectually within the collection. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1908-1964 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1, OV 28) Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-1970 (4.1 linear feet; Boxes 1-5) Series 3: Subject Files, 1940-1958 (6 folders; Box 5) Series 4: Writings, 1923-1971 (3.2 linear feet; Boxes 5-8, Film can FC 30) Series 5: Teaching, 1921-1952 (0.8 linear feet; Box 9, Film cans FC 31-33) Series 6: Financial Records, 1923-1971 (1.5 linear feet; Box 9-10) Series 7: Scrapbooks, 1910-1961 (1.2 linear feet; Boxes 22-25) Series 8: Printed Material, 1913-1987 (3.7 linear feet; Boxes 11-14, 26, OV 29) Series 9: Miscellaneous, 1916-1966 (0.5 linear feet; Box 14, 16, Film can FC 34) Series 10: Photographic Material, 1904-1964 (3.6 linear feet; Boxes 14-15, 17-21, 26-27)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research facility. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice. Lantern slides and glass plate negatives are housed separately and not served to researchers.
Summary:
The Alexander Archipenko papers measure 19.5 linear feet and date from 1904 to 1986, with the bulk of materials dating from 1930 to 1964. The sculptor's personal and professional life is documented by correspondence, financial records, scrapbooks, printed matter, and photographs documenting his art, exhibitions, travel, teaching activities, and the Archipenko Art School. Archipenko wrote and lectured extensively about his philosophies of art and the relationship between art and nature. The papers include drafts, notes, and final manuscripts of published and unpublished writings, and notes, outlines, transcripts, and audio recordings of some of his lectures.
Citation:
Alexander Archipenko papers, 1904-1986, bulk 1930-1964. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels 5826-5839, and NA11-NA12, NA16-NA18 and NA20-NA22 at Archives of American Art offices, and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the papers as described in this finding aid may not reflect the order of the collection on microfilm due to reprocessing.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art. Glass plate negatives in this collection were digitized in 2019 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Women's Committee.
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:
Among the holdings of the Archives are the Donald H. Karshan papers relating to Alexander Archipenko, originally accessioned as part of the Alexander Archipenko papers, but later separated to form a distinct collection.
The Archives also has the National Collection of Fine Arts records relating to Alexander Archipenko. The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reels NA11-NA12, NA16-NA18, and NA 20-NA22) including biographical material, correspondence, exhibition records, writings, printed material and photographs. Loaned materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
Alexander Archipenko (1887-1964) was the son of an engineer/inventor and grandson of an icon painter. Among the first modern sculptors of the 20th century to be associated with the Cubist movement, Archipenko was known for his innovative use of concave space. His major contribution was the realization of negative form through use of a hole to create a contrast of solid and void. His sculpto-paintings united form and color; begun in 1912, these polychromed constructions are among the earliest mixed-media works known, and sometimes incorporated objects. Eventually, his Cubist-inspired work evolved into the simplified, abstract shapes for which he is best known. Although known primarily as a sculptor, Archipenko produced paintings, drawings, and prints as well.
At age 15, Archipenko began studying art at the University of Kiev in his native city; he was expelled three years later for criticizing the teachers. He then went to Moscow where he worked on his own and exhibited in several group shows; his first solo exhibition was held in the Ukraine in 1906.
Archipenko made Paris his home from 1908 until the outbreak of World War I. Soon after his arrival, he enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts; this association lasted but two weeks, and marked the end of Archipenko's formal training. He continued to study art by spending large amounts of time visiting art museums and painting on his own. During this period, he began exhibiting in the Salon des Independents with the Cubists, and as a member of the "Section d'Or" participated in that group's exhibitions. His first one-man exhibition in Germany was held at the Folkwant Museum (1912) and his work was featured in the Armory Show (1913).
In 1912, at the age of 25, Archipenko established his first art school in Paris. He spent the war years working quietly outside of Nice, and soon afterwards circulated an extensive exhibition of his works throughout Europe. In 1921, Archipenko settled in Berlin, opened an art school there, and married sculptor Angelica Bruno-Schmitz, who was known professionally as Gela Forster.
Archipenko's reputation was solidly established and the majority of his ground-breaking work - adaptation of Cubist ideas to sculpture, sculpto-paintings and incorporation of negative space in sculpture - was accomplished prior to his 1923 arrival in the United States. One of his most innovative works executed in America was the Archipentura, invented circa 1924 and patented in 1927, a machine with rolling cylinders that displayed "animated paintings" using motion and light. Other creations of note are carved Lucite sculptures, illuminated from within, that were executed in the mid-1940s.
Upon settling in the United States in 1923, Archipenko opened his art school in New York City; a summer school was established in Woodstock, New York the following year. Within a few years, Archipenko purchased land near Woodstock and began construction of a home, personal studio, and buildings for the school. At various times during the 1930s, Archipenko resided in Chicago and Los Angeles, and operated schools while living in those cities. For many years during the 1940s, Angelica served on the sculpture faculty at the Escuela de Belles Artes in San Miguel Allende, Mexico.
In addition to running his own schools, Archipenko taught at a number of colleges and universities, where he ran workshops, and served as a visiting professor. He wrote and lectured extensively about his philosophy of art and theories of creativity, publishing several articles and a book, Archipenko: Fifty Creative Years, 1908-1958 (1960).
Angelica Archipenko died in 1957. Three years later Archipenko married sculptor Frances Gray, a former student. During the early 1960s, the couple traveled extensively on a lecture tour that accompanied a solo exhibition to several German cities. Archipenko died in New York City, February 25, 1964.
The following chronology is excerpted from Alexander Archipenko: A Centennial Tribute by Katherine Janszky Michaelsen and Nehama Guralnik (National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, 1986) and Archipenko: The Sculpture and Graphic art, Including a Print Catalogue Raisonne by Donald Karshan, Ernst Wasmuth Verlag (Tubingen, Germany, 1974).
1887 Born to Porfiry Antonovich and Poroskovia Wassilievna Machova Archipenko in Kiev, Ukraine, Russia. Father a mechanical engineer, professor of engineering, and inventor; grandfather an icon painter. 1900 Studied and copied Michelangelo drawings from a book given him by his grandfather during a long confinement following a leg injury. 1902-1905 Painting and sculpture student in Kiev art school; expelled for criticizing his teachers. 1906 First one-man show in the Ukraine. Worked in Moscow and exhibited in several group shows. 1908 Moved to Paris and enrolled in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Quit formal art instruction after two weeks, continued to study art on his own by visiting museums. 1910 Exhibited in the Salon des Independants with the cubists (also in 1911-1914 and 1919). 1912 Opened art school in Paris. "Section d'Or" formed in Paris with Archipenko among its members. The group exhibited until 1914, and briefly after World War I. First solo exhibition in Germany, Folkwant Museum, Hagen. 1913 Represented in the Armory Show. Executed first prints (lithographs). 1914 Began making sculpto-paintings. 1914-1918 Spent the war years working near Nice. 1919-1920 Began extensive tour exhibiting his works in various European cities (Geneva, Zurich, Paris, London, Brussels, Athens, Berlin, Munich, etc.). 1920 One-man exhibition in the Venice Biennale. 1921 First solo exhibition in the United States at the Societe Anonyme, Inc., New York; a symposium, Psychology of Modern Art and Archipenko, was held during the course of the show. Moved to Berlin and opened art school. Married sculptor Angelica Bruno-Schmitz [known professionally as Gela Forster]. First print commission. 1923 Moved to the United States and opened art school in New York City. 1924 Established a summer school at Woodstock, New York. 1927 "Archipentura" patented ("Apparatus for displaying Changeable Pictures and methods for Decorating Changeable Display Apparatus," nos. 1,626, 946 and 1,626,497). 1928 Became an American citizen. 1929 Bought land near Woodstock, New York, and began construction of school and studio buildings. 1932 Lectured on his theories of creativeness at colleges and universities throughout the United States. 1933 Taught summer session at Mills College, Oakland, California, and Chouinard School, Los Angeles. 1935 Moved to Los Angeles and opened art school. 1935-1936 Taught summer sessions at the University of Washington, Seattle. 1936 Moved to Chicago and opened art school. Associate instructor at New Bauhaus School, Chicago. 1938 Returned to New York; reopened art school and Woodstock summer school. 1944 Taught at the Dalton School, New York City. 1946-1947 Returned to Chicago; taught at the Institute of Design. 1947 Began making carved plastic sculptures with internal illumination. 1950 Taught at University of Kansas City, Missouri. 1950-1951 Lecture tour of the southern cities of the United States. 1951 Taught at Carmel Institute of Art, California, University of Oregon, and University of Washington, Seattle. 1952 Taught at University of Delaware, Newark. 1953 Elected Associate Member of International Institute of Arts and Letters. 1955-1956 One-man exhibition tours in Germany (Dusseldorf, Darmstadt, Mannheim, and Recklinghausen). 1956 Taught at University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. 1957 Death of Angelica. 1959 Awarded gold medal, XIII Biennale de'Arte Triveneta, III Concorso Internationale del Bronzetto, Padua, Italy. 1960 Archipenko: Fifty Creative Years, 1908-1958 by Alexander Archipenko and Fifty Art Historians published by Tekhne (a company established by Archipenko for the purpose). Married Frances Gray, a sculptor and former student. Recovered plasters of early work stored by French friends since the end of World War I. Traveling exhibition in Germany (Hagen, Münster, and Dusseldorf). 1962 Elected to the Department of Art, National Institute of Arts and Letters. 1964 Dies in New York City.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
In 1967, the Alexander Archipenko papers, previously on deposit at Syracuse University, were loaned to the Archives of American Art for microfilming by his widow Frances Archipenko Gray. In 1982, Ms. Gray donated most of the material previously loaned and microfilmed to the Archives of American Art, along with additional items.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Art -- Philosophy  Search this
Sculpture, Modern -- 20th century  Search this
Sculpture -- Technique  Search this
Sculptors  Search this
Art -- Study and teaching  Search this
Cubism  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)7025
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)209158
AAA_collcode_archalex
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_209158