The collection is arranged into 11 series: Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1922-1995 (Boxes 1-2, 19; 1.5 linear feet) Series 2: Correspondence, 1932-1998 (Boxes 2-4; 2.5 linear feet) Series 3: Exhibition Records, 1936-1989 (Boxes 4-5; 0.25 linear feet) Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1943-1998 (Boxes 5-6; 1.0 linear feet) Series 5: Feitelson and Lundeberg Foundation Records, 1978-1997 (Boxes 6-7, 19; 1.5 linear feet) Series 6: Research and Teaching Materials, 1940s-1960s (Boxes 7-8; 0.75 linear feet) Series 7: Writings, 1930-1989 (Boxes 8-9; 1.0 linear feet) Series 8: Artwork, 1920s-1991 (Boxes 9, 19; 9 folders) Series 9: Printed Materials, 1923-2002 (Boxes 9-11, 20; 2.0 linear feet) Series 10: Photographs, circa 1890s-1993 (Boxes 11-14, 16-19, and OV 21-22; 4.3 linear feet) Series 11: Audio Recording, circa 1957 (Box 15; 1 item) Series 12: Unprocessed Addition, circa 1919-1978 (Box 23; 0.2 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of Los Angeles painters and art instructors Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg measure 15.6 linear feet and date from circa 1890s to 2002. The papers document the careers of the two artists, including their establishment of the Post-surrealism movement in southern California, their work for federal arts programs, and their later abstract artwork. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, personal business records, exhibition files, printed materials, photographs, and one sound recording.
Citation:
Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg papers, circa 1890s-2002. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of this collection was digitized in 2012 and is available via the Archives of American Art's website. Materials not scanned include documents with private information, tax records, duplicates, photographs of artwork, slides, transparencies, and additional papers donated in 2014. One sound recording has not been digitized. In some cases, publications have had only title pages and relevant pages scanned.
Material lent for microfilming on 35 microfilm reel LA 1 is available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by the Getty Foundation; funding for the digitization of the collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
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:
Found in the Archives of American Art are oral history interviews with Lorser Feitelson conducted by Betty Lochrie Hoag, May 12, 1964; with Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg conducted by Betty Lochrie Hoag, March 17, 1965; and with Helen Lundeberg conducted by Jan Butterfield, July 19 and August 29, 1980. Also found are Lorser Feitelson lectures recorded by Bonnie Trotter, 1973-1974. The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel LA 1) including a scrapbook of clippings primarily concerning Lorser Feitelson's activities with the federal Works Progress Administration. Lent materials were returned to the lender and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
Art instructor and painter Lorser Feitelson (1898-1978) lived and worked in Los Angeles with his wife Helen Lundeberg (1908-1999), also one of southern California's leading painters. Together, Feitelson and Lundeberg founded the movement known as Subjective Classicism, or Post-surrealism. Their work had a great influence on southern California art and they formed many relationships with artists and critics of the area.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
In 1964, Feitelson loaned for microfilming a scrapbook of clippings primarily concerning his activities with the federal Works Progress Administration. The scrapbook was microfilmed on Reel LA1 and returned to Feitelson. It is not included in the container inventory in this finding aid.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of Lorser Feitelson and Helen Lundeberg in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2017. The papers have been scanned in their entirety, and total 20,459 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001