The collection is arranged as 5 series: Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1908-2012 (Box 1; 6 folders, ER01) Series 2: Correspondence, 1946-1995 (Box 1; 0.2 linear feet) Series 3: Personal Business Records, 1969-1994 (Box 1; 0.3 linear feet) Series 4: Printed Materials, 1930-2011 (Box 1-2; 0.9 linear feet) Series 5: Photographs, 1926-circa 2013 (Box 3; 0.2 linear feet, ER02)
Access Note / Rights:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Summary:
The papers of New York-based abstract painter and teacher John Opper measure 1.6 linear feet and 0.057 GB and are dated 1908-2013, bulk 1930-1994. The papers contain both professional and personal correspondence. Biographical materials include passports, sketches, certificates, and curriculum vitae, as well as some genealogical documents in digital format. Personal business records relate to the artist's Bowery Street and Amagansett studios, art sales through the Grace Borgenicht Gallery, and a few art inventories. A scrapbook contains newspaper clippings. Additional clippings, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and galley sheets of a children's book illustrated by Opper are included among the printed material. Photographs are of Opper, his family, friends, and paintings. Digital photographs depict the artist and relatives.
Citation:
John Opper papers, 1908-2013, bulk 1930-1994. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2021 and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Funding:
Funding for the processing of this collection was provided by Jane and Joseph Opper.
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:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with John Opper, conducted by Irving Sandler, 1968 September 9-1969 January 3.
Biography Note:
Chicago born abstract painter and teacher John Opper (1908-1994) moved to New York in the 1930s where he lived and worked for most of his career.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
The John Opper papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by the artist's children, Jane and Joseph Opper, in 2013.
Digitization Note:
This site provides access to the papers of John Opper in the Archives of American Art that were digitized in 2021, and total 2,144 images.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
