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Summary:
De Erdely's handwritten autobiography, in Hungarian with a typed English translation, describing his years as an art student at the National Academy of Arts, Budapest, from 1919 to 1924; 15 scrapbooks, 1925-1968, containing clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, award certificates, 2 photographs of de Erdely in his studio, ca. 1929, de Erdely with jurors, photographs of works, and letters from art organizations regarding competitions and exhibitions; 258 photographs of works including a few portraits of de Erdely; 6 award medals, 1946-1954; award ribbons, 1949-1958; and an address book, ca. 1940.
Citation:
Francis de Erdely papers, 1925-1968. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Biography Note:
Painter, printmaker; Los Angeles, Calif. Born in Budapest, Hungary. Studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Budapest. Came to United States in 1939. Settled in Los Angeles in 1940. Taught at the Pasadena Art Institute, 1944-1946, and the University of Southern California, 1945-1959.
Language Note:
Holographic autobiography is in Hungarian. Scrapbook (1925-1934) is in French, Spanish, German, and Hungarian.
Provenance:
Donated 1989 by Patricia Weaver, who inherited the papers from Louise Hartman Ronay, the mother of de Erdeley's widow, Edith. The English translation of the typescript autobiography was donated by the Huntington Library.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001