The collection is arranged as eight series. Series 1: Biographical Material, 1920-circa 1991 (0.35 linear feet; Box 1, FC23) Series 2: Correspondence, 1926-1997 (8.75 linear feet; Boxes 1-9, 22) Series 3: Writings and Notes, 1938-circa 1980s (0.25 linear feet; Boxes 9-10) Series 4: Personal Business Records, circa 1936-1982 (0.25 linear feet; Box 10) Series 5: Printed Material, 1925-2004 (3.7 linear feet; Boxes 10-14, 22, FC 24) Series 6: Sketchbooks, 1933-1991 (6.1 linear feet; Boxes 14-19, 22) Series 7: Photographs, circa 1921-circa 1990s (1.5 linear feet; Boxes 20-22) Series 8: Unprocessed Addition, 1949-1951 (0.2 linear feet; Box 25)
Access Note / Rights:
Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center. Researchers interested in accessing audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Summary:
The papers of New York City sculptor and teacher Chaim Gross measure 21.1 linear feet and date from 1920-2004. The collection provides comprehensive documentation of Gross's career through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence with family, artists, writers, galleries, museums, educational institutions, and religious and philanthropic organizations, writings, personal business records, extensive printed and published material including motion picture film and video recordings of four documentaries, one hundred and fifteen sketchbooks spanning the bulk of Gross's career, and photographs of Gross, his family, many friends and colleagues from the art world, his studio, personal art collection, and works of art. An unprocessed addition of three sketchbooks was donated in 2020.
Citation:
Chaim Gross papers, 1920-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
Ten record books, 1926-1975 are available on 35mm microfilm reels D115a, 924, and 925 in Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Funding for microfilming was provided by the Henry and Lucy Moses Fund, the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, Inc., the Samuel Bronfman Foundation, and the Louis and Anne Abrons Foundation.
Funding:
The Chaim Gross papers were processed with funding from the Shirley Gorelick 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:
Additional Chaim Gross papers are held by Syracuse University.
The Archives of American Art also holds an oral history interview of Chaim Gross conducted 1964 September 1 by Dorothy Seckler and an oral history interview of Chaim Gross conducted 1981 May 26-27 by Milton Wolf Brown. The Archives of American Art holds the microfilm (Reels D115a, 924, and 925) of ten record books, 1926-1975, containing rough drawings of artworks, dimensions, titles, dates, materials, production locations, and information regarding owners. The record books were returned to the donor after microfilming and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Biography Note:
New York City sculptor and teacher Chaim Gross (1904-1991) is considered one of America's foremost sculptors, known for his semi-abstract bronzes celebrating the human form, and his pioneering work in direct wood carving. Gross taught for over fifty years at the Educational Alliance Art School and for forty years at the New School for Social Research.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The Chaim Gross papers were given to the Archives of American Art in a series of accessions by Chaim Gross from 1963-1983. Thirteen postcards were given by Mrs. Irving Marantz in 1975. Mimi Gross donated eight letters and two envelopes in 2005. Additional papers were donated by the Renee and Chaim Gross Foundation in 2016 via Susan Fisher, executive Director, and in 2017 and 2020 by the Foundation via Sasha Davis, Interim Director and Curator of Collections.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
