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Saul Nesbitt Papers

Creator:
Nesbitt, Saul, 1920-1993  Search this
Names:
Archway Cookies, Inc.  Search this
Borden's Farm Products Co. of Illinois  Search this
Campbell Soup Company  Search this
Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive  Search this
Eastman Kodak Company  Search this
Florists' Telegraph Delivery Association  Search this
Franco American Food Co.  Search this
Lever Brothers and Unilever, ltd.  Search this
National Distillers and Chemical Corporation  Search this
Nesbitt Associates, Ltd.  Search this
P. Ballantine & Sons  Search this
Philip Morris Incorporated  Search this
Revlon, Inc.  Search this
Schick (Firm)  Search this
Scott Paper Company  Search this
Seagram Company  Search this
Collector:
Cooper-Hewitt Design Archive  Search this
Extent:
3.5 Cubic feet (11 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Slides
Sketches
Transparencies
Press releases
Correspondence
Photographs
Media lists
Blueprints
Drawings
Clippings
Client lists
Samples
Date:
1951-1984
Summary:
Collection primarily consists of photographic materials including color slides, color and black & white transparencies, and black & white photographs; press releases, articles, correspondence, press releases, client lists, and surveys documenting the life and work of packaging, industrial, and graphic designer Saul Nesbitt.
Scope and Contents:
Background and biographical information consists of Nesbitt's resume, an artist/designer statement, list of clients and accomplishments of Nesbitt Associates, Ltd., press releases, articles, and photographs of the designer.,The materials in this collection document Nesbitt's work from 1951 through 1984.
The records of the office of public relations cover the years 1955-1963 and include press releases and clippings describing some Nesbitt's products, his theories on consumer motivation, and the results of his surveys, as well as correspondence with members of the press. General office correspondence is boxed separately.
Color slides, color and black & white transparencies, and black & white photographs of most of Nesbitt's designs for packaging from 1951-1981 are included. Oversized materials include books jackets and booklets designed by Nesbitt, as well as some renderings for packaging designs done in color.
Three samples of fitted presentation boxes designed by Nesbitt are included, as well as a prototype for a design award for Parsons School of Design in New York, and two "Multiplication" cubes commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged into five series:

Series 1, Background and Biographical Information, dates

Series 2, Records of the Public Relations Office, 1955-196

Series 3, Correspondence, dates

Series 4, Photographic Materials, dates

Series 5, Samples, undated
Biographical / Historical:
Saul Nesbitt was a packaging, industrial, and graphic designer born in New York City on August 10, 1920. He was a student of sculptor Chaim Gross and studied art at many New York institutions including: Art Students League; New York University (NYU); Columbia University; Pratt Institute of Art; and the New School.

Nesbitt served in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945 where he worked as a cartographer and as the head of the visual aid section in a military intelligence training center. In 1945, he joined the staff of Harper's Bazaar magazine where he was an illustrator assisting art director Alexey Brodovich. In 1946, Nesbitt was hired by the industrial design studio of Raymond Loewy as a handletterer and packaging designer.

Saul Nesbitt worked with Lippincott Industrial Design from 1948 to 1951. He opened his own design studio, Nesbitt Associates, Ltd. in 1951. The firm specialized in package design, trademarks, and corporate identities. Some of his most recognizable designs were for the label for Campbell's Soup and the Florists' Telegraph Delivery (F.T.D.) Winged Mercury 'Interflora' figure, still used today. Nesbitt's other clients included: Franco American; Revlon; Ballantine Beer; Borden; Champion spark plugs; Kodak; Phillip Morris cigarettes; Schick razors; and Archway cookies. In addition, Nesbitt developed the "Karry Kit" for Ballantine Beer which came to be widely used and known as the six pack.

Nesbitt was known for his revealing studies and surveys of the buying needs and preferences of the "average American housewife" and consumers in general. His opinions on what he referred to as "underpackaging" were widely publicized in professional magazines and journals. In 1984, Nesbitt retired from the design field and went to California to resume his career as a sculptor until his death in 1993 at the age of seventy-three.
Related Materials:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History

NW Ayer & Sons, incorporated Advertising Agency Records, NMAH.AC.0059

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, NMAH.AC.0060

Alan and Elaine Levitt Advertisement Collection, NMAH.AC.0303

Marlboro Oral History and Documentation Project, NMAH.AC.0198

Campbell Soup Advertising Oral History and Documentation Project, NMAH.AC.0367

Caroline R. Jones Papers, NMAH.AC.0552

Virgil Johnson Collection of Cigarette Packages, NMAH.AC.0645

Revlon, Incorporated Advertising Collection, NMAH.AC.0939

Landor Design Collection, NMAH.AC.0500

Albert W. Hampson Commercial Artwork Collection, NMAH.AC.0561

Borden Company 1939 New York World's Fair Collection, NMAH.AC.1063

Smithsonian Institution

Archives of American Art

Esta Nesbitt Papers, circa 1942-1981

Smithsonian Institution Archives

Archives Collection Management Records, 1989-2006
Provenance:
Collection donated by the designer's wife, Mrs. Saul Nesbitt, in 1994.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Occupation:
Industrial designers  Search this
Packaging designers  Search this
Graphic designers  Search this
Topic:
Consumers -- Research  Search this
Consumers' preferences -- United States  Search this
Housewives as consumers  Search this
Labels -- Design  Search this
Corporate image -- Design  Search this
Logos (Symbols) -- Design  Search this
Graphic arts -- United States  Search this
Design, Industrial -- United States  Search this
Packaging -- Design  Search this
Genre/Form:
Slides
Sketches
Transparencies
Press releases
Correspondence
Photographs -- 20th century
Media lists
Blueprints
Drawings
Clippings
Client lists
Samples -- 1920-2000
Citation:
Saul Nesbitt Papers, 1951-1984, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.1275
See more items in:
Saul Nesbitt Papers
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep857e2f039-d3d5-4307-a474-a5e5072e4e74
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1275

Child Saint Sambandar

Medium:
Bronze
Dimensions:
H x W x D (overall): 48.6 x 43.5 x 17.3 cm (19 1/8 x 17 1/8 x 6 13/16 in)
Type:
Sculpture
Origin:
Tamil Nadu state, India
Date:
12th century
Period:
Chola dynasty
Topic:
child  Search this
Chola dynasty (850 - 1280)  Search this
Saint Sambandar  Search this
India  Search this
South Asian and Himalayan Art  Search this
Credit Line:
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Accession Number:
F1976.5
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
On View:
Freer Gallery 01: Body Image: Arts of the Indian Subcontinent
Related Online Resources:
Google Cultural Institute
See more items in:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye32d8ef9fc-e3b5-4736-9087-0a83017d934f
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:fsg_F1976.5
Online Media:

Norman Lear

Artist:
Beverly McIver, born 1962  Search this
Sitter:
Norman Lear, 27 Jul 1922 - 5 Dec 2023  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Stretcher: 76.2 × 76.2 cm (30 × 30")
Type:
Painting
Date:
2022
Topic:
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses  Search this
Costume\Headgear\Hat\Fedora  Search this
Painting  Search this
Norman Lear: Male  Search this
Norman Lear: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director  Search this
Norman Lear: Performing Arts\Producer\Film producer  Search this
Norman Lear: Performing Arts\Filmmaker  Search this
Norman Lear: Literature\Writer\Screenwriter  Search this
Norman Lear: Performing Arts\Producer\Television producer  Search this
Norman Lear: Society and Social Change\Reformer\Lobbyist  Search this
Norman Lear: Military and Intelligence\Army  Search this
Norman Lear: Peabody Award  Search this
Norman Lear: Arts Award  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.2022.183
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© 2021 Beverly McIver
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4734c21f8-5e4c-4482-9fc2-c4917befdc3e
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.2022.183

U.S. Savings Bond Stamp Collection

Donor:
Gottlieb, Rosalie F.  Search this
Designer:
Luchton, Bernard, 1924-1970  Search this
Extent:
1 Cubic foot (2 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Publicity photographs
Photographs
Pamphlets
Scrapbooks
Posters
Brochures
Date:
1949-1970
Summary:
Collection consists of dvertising materials relating to Bernard Luchton's development of U.S. Savings Bond Stamps, including scrapbooks, posters, drawings, and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists of savings bond stamp campaign materials—posters, pamphlets, and brochures—primarily from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, to promote the purchase of savings bonds. There are also photos and news about publicity events and displays at bond stamp rallies. Many of the savings bond campaign slogans talk about "planning for your future" and "keep freedom in your future." The scrapbooks provide examples of various savings bond stamp campaigns and some include a poster, volunteer canvasser's guide and chairman's guide promoting each campaign. The collection is arranged into three series—Background Information, Scrapbooks, and Miscellaneous.
Arrangement:
Divided into 3 series

Series 1: Background Information, 1949, 1956

Series 2: Scrapbooks,1950s-1960s

Series 3: Miscellaneous, 1950-1970
Biographical / Historical:
Bernard M. Luchton (1924-1970) was an exhibits specialist with the Department of Labor and later joined the Department of Treasury as Art Director for the Treasury's Savings Bond Division. He designed the 1958 25-cent U.S. Savings Stamp (Minute Man).
Provenance:
Collection donated by Rosalie F. Gottlieb, December 27, 2000.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research and access on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Topic:
Savings stamps  Search this
Savings bonds  Search this
advertising -- 1950-2000  Search this
Rallies  Search this
Genre/Form:
Publicity photographs
Photographs -- 1950-2000
Pamphlets -- 1950-2000
Scrapbooks -- 1950-2000
Posters -- 1950-2000
Brochures -- 1950-2000
Citation:
U.S. Savings Bond Stamp Collection, 1949-1970, Archives Center,National Museum of American History.
Identifier:
NMAH.AC.0758
See more items in:
U.S. Savings Bond Stamp Collection
Archival Repository:
Archives Center, National Museum of American History
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ep831c9aa0d-87ba-46a6-aab0-11387d353df2
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0758

(Online) Virtual Realities: Artist Talk with Hsin-Chien Huang and Laurie Anderson

Creator:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-11-30T01:19:21.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
Topic:
Art, modern  Search this
See more by:
hirshhornmuseum
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
YouTube Channel:
hirshhornmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_VVcTL25CeEc

(At Home): Artist Talk with Miss Chelove

Creator:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2021-04-05T18:58:58.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
Topic:
Art, modern  Search this
See more by:
hirshhornmuseum
Data Source:
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
YouTube Channel:
hirshhornmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_zHkWyjLvQcc

A Box of Ten Photographs: The Odyssey of Diane Arbus

Creator:
Smithsonian American Art Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2019-10-03T19:21:44.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
See more by:
americanartmuseum
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
YouTube Channel:
americanartmuseum
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_YiLvcvoNeAk

NMAfA Director Johnnetta Betsch Cole in conversation with Maya Angelou

Creator:
National Museum of African Art  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2013-12-20T20:46:09.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, African  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianAfricanAr
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianAfricanAr
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_e8S-mNq3ypg

How Colorized Historical Footage Is Painstakingly Made

Creator:
Smithsonian Channel  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2017-06-29T18:18:21.000Z
YouTube Category:
Entertainment  Search this
See more by:
smithsonianchannel
Data Source:
Smithsonian Channel
YouTube Channel:
smithsonianchannel
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_uTy9fRo6D78

Reclaiming Cambodia’s Cultural Heritage: Provenance Research in Action

Creator:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery  Search this
Type:
Conversations and talks
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2023-12-04T21:25:34.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
See more by:
FreerSackler
Data Source:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
YouTube Channel:
FreerSackler
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_1t_uIALqZws

Stamp Design

Creator:
National Postal Museum  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2013-11-27T16:40:58.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Postal service;Letter mail handling;Stamp collecting  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianNPM
Data Source:
National Postal Museum
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianNPM
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_PCgra1HvglI

The Art of the Stamp, Maynard Sundman Lecture 2012

Creator:
National Postal Museum  Search this
Type:
Lectures
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2013-01-24T20:17:37.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Postal service;Letter mail handling;Stamp collecting  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianNPM
Data Source:
National Postal Museum
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianNPM
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_yN2qUzi0E6Y

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Art Director:
Fred Carter, born Duffield, VA 1911 - died Clintwood, VA 1992  Search this
Medium:
carved and painted wood
Dimensions:
17 1/2 × 10 × 8 in. (44.5 × 25.4 × 20.3 cm)
Type:
Sculpture
Date:
1983
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Fred Carter Family and Kohler Foundation, Inc.
Object number:
2023.49.2
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Painting and Sculpture
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk78a5ca1b8-a9a4-4a07-a7ff-7db210552beb
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_2023.49.2

Kaypi Perú: This Is Peru - 4 Adu Group Project

Creator:
National Museum of the American Indian  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2020-05-20T20:07:57.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Native Americans;American Indians  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianNMAI
Data Source:
National Museum of the American Indian
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianNMAI
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_G7-6ES-qmrs

Theresa Helburn

Artist:
Marion H. Beckett, active early 20th century  Search this
Sitter:
Theresa Helburn, 12 Jan 1887 - 18 Aug 1959  Search this
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
Accurate: 64 × 60.8 cm (25 3/16 × 23 15/16")
Frame: 73.3 × 70.8 × 4.1 cm (28 7/8 × 27 7/8 × 1 5/8")
Type:
Painting
Date:
1922
Topic:
Theresa Helburn: Female  Search this
Theresa Helburn: Literature\Writer  Search this
Theresa Helburn: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Theater director  Search this
Theresa Helburn: Performing Arts\Producer\Theater  Search this
Theresa Helburn: Performing Arts\Producer\Impresario  Search this
Theresa Helburn: Business and Finance\Businessperson\Business executive\Entertainment\Theater  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Larry Aldrich
Object number:
NPG.73.30
Restrictions & Rights:
CC0
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4ccad1f45-b175-40a3-9e7f-a3ee91a35b4d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.73.30

Beat Me Daddy (Eight To the Bar)

Recording artist:
McKinley, Ray  Search this
Will Bradley and his Orchestra  Search this
Manufacturer:
Columbia  Search this
Physical Description:
shellac (overall material)
paper (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements:
overall: 10 in; 25.4 cm
Object Name:
sound recording
Place made:
United States
Recording date:
1940
Release date:
1947
Related Publication:
Rust, Brian. Jazz Records 1897-1942, Vol. 1
Credit Line:
Gift of Robert J. Walter
ID Number:
1981.0566.186
Maker number:
C-123
36956
Accession number:
1981.0566
Catalog number:
1981.0566.186
See more items in:
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Popular Entertainment
Music & Musical Instruments
Family & Social Life
Sound Recordings
Data Source:
National Museum of American History
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b3-9d7f-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmah_676160
Online Media:

Chuck Jones

Artist:
Paul Moore, born 1957  Search this
Sitter:
Chuck Jones, 1 Sep 1912 - 22 Feb 2002  Search this
Medium:
Bronze
Dimensions:
66cm x 33cm x 30.5cm (26" x 13" x 12")
Type:
(not assigned)
Place:
United States\California\Orange\Costa Mesa
Date:
1994
Topic:
Nature & Environment\Animal  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses  Search this
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie  Search this
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Goatee  Search this
Chuck Jones: Male  Search this
Chuck Jones: Visual Arts\Artist\Cartoonist  Search this
Chuck Jones: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director  Search this
Chuck Jones: Visual Arts\Artist\Animator  Search this
Chuck Jones: Oscar  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the artist, Glenn Green Galleries (Santa Fe), and Marian Jones, in honor of Chuck Jones
Object number:
NPG.96.15
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Exhibition:
Bravo!
On View:
NPG, South Gallery 322 Mezzanine
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4e0d7aaf0-975f-4513-9b0d-96a4e3b44cfb
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.96.15

Kaypi Perú: This Is Peru - 8 Etnia Group and Raices y Expresiones

Creator:
National Museum of the American Indian  Search this
Type:
YouTube Videos
Uploaded:
2017-02-15T19:17:00.000Z
YouTube Category:
Education  Search this
Topic:
Native Americans;American Indians  Search this
See more by:
SmithsonianNMAI
Data Source:
National Museum of the American Indian
YouTube Channel:
SmithsonianNMAI
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:yt_uyUX5sUOPlM

Alexander Liberman papers, circa 1912-2003

Creator:
Liberman, Alexander Semeonovitch, 1912-1999  Search this
Subject:
Leibovitz, Annie  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Kline, Franz  Search this
Klein, William  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr.  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Cartier-Bresson, Henri  Search this
Beaton, Cecil Walter Hardy, Sir  Search this
Penn, Irving  Search this
Parks, Gordon  Search this
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Newman, Barnett  Search this
Newton, Helmut  Search this
Mulas, Ugo  Search this
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Picasso, Pablo  Search this
Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of  Search this
Ritts, Herb  Search this
Vogel, Lucien  Search this
Steichen, Edward  Search this
Vreeland, Diana  Search this
Dalí, Salvador  Search this
Chernow, Burt  Search this
Dietrich, Marlene  Search this
De Kooning, Willem  Search this
Emmerich, André  Search this
Greenberg, Clement  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen  Search this
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Bennington College  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
André Emmerich Gallery  Search this
Type:
Drafts (documents)
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Alexander Liberman papers, circa 1912-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Topic:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photography  Search this
Sculptors -- France -- Paris  Search this
Fashion photography  Search this
Painters -- France -- Paris  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photographers -- France -- Paris  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)15871
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)295430
AAA_collcode_libealex
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_295430
Online Media:

Alexander Liberman papers

Creator:
Liberman, Alexander, 1912-1999  Search this
Names:
André Emmerich Gallery  Search this
Bennington College  Search this
Museum of Modern Art (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum  Search this
Barr, Alfred H., Jr., 1902-1981  Search this
Beaton, Cecil Walter Hardy, Sir, 1904-  Search this
Cartier-Bresson, Henri, 1908-  Search this
Chernow, Burt  Search this
Dalí, Salvador, 1904-1989  Search this
De Kooning, Willem, 1904-1997  Search this
Dietrich, Marlene  Search this
Emmerich, André  Search this
Frankenthaler, Helen, 1928-2011  Search this
Greenberg, Clement, 1909-1994  Search this
Hopps, Walter  Search this
Klein, William  Search this
Kline, Franz, 1910-1962  Search this
Leibovitz, Annie, 1949-  Search this
Motherwell, Robert  Search this
Mulas, Ugo  Search this
Namuth, Hans  Search this
Newman, Barnett, 1905-1970  Search this
Newton, Helmut, 1920-  Search this
Parks, Gordon, 1912-2006  Search this
Parsons, Betty  Search this
Penn, Irving  Search this
Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973  Search this
Ritts, Herb  Search this
Snowdon, Antony Armstrong-Jones, Earl of, 1930-  Search this
Steichen, Edward, 1879-1973  Search this
Vogel, Lucien  Search this
Vreeland, Diana  Search this
Extent:
59 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Drafts (documents)
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Video recordings
Date:
circa 1912-2003
Summary:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and publishing executive Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman date from circa 1913-2003 and measure 59 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; correspondence with family, galleries, museums, and many artists; numerous recorded interviews and transcripts with and by Liberman, including one of Walter Hopps; writings and writing project files; extensive subject files maintained by Liberman; exhibition files; printed materials; scattered drawings; and extensive photographs of Liberman's artwork, exhibitions, Liberman, and of Liberman with notable artists, dealers, collectors, and critics. Many of the photographs were taken by noted photograhers. Also found within the papers are unidentified sound and video recordings. Additional sound and video recordings have been integrated into other series.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and publishing executive Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman date from circa 1913-2003 and measure 59 linear feet. Found within the papers are biographical materials; correspondence with family, galleries, museums, and many artists; numerous recorded interviews and transcripts with and by Liberman, including one of Walter Hopps; writings and writing project files; extensive subject files maintained by Liberman; exhibition files; printed materials; scattered drawings; and extensive photographs of Liberman's artwork, exhibitions, Liberman, and of Liberman with notable artists, dealers, collectors, and critics. Many of the photographs were taken by noted photograhers. Also found within the papers are unidentified sound and video recordings. Additional sound and video recordings have been integrated into other series.

Biographical materials include awards, biographies and chronologies, family history materials, membership cards, writings by Liberman's mother, and a scrapbook about his father.

Correspondence is extensive and concerns both personal and professional affairs. It is with artists and photographers, art magazines, organizations and museums, art collectors, businesses, and family. Notable correspondents include Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Burt Chernow, Salvador Dali, Robert Motherwell, Helen Frankenthaler, Barnett and Annalee Newman, Additional correspondence is found within the subject files compiled and organized by Liberman (series 6).

There are sound and video recordings and transcripts of interviews with and by Liberman, most completed for broadcast television and radio shows. Of particular interest are sound cassettes, a sound tape reel, and a transcript of an interview with Walter Hopps by Liberman.

Writings by Liberman include essays, short stories, and a play entitled 2+1. Writing project files were organized by Liberman for writing projects for which he was the author, collaborator, or subject. There are numerous files concerning Barbara Rose's book about Liberman Alexander Liberman that also include recorded interviews with Liberman and transcripts. Other books for which there are files include The Art and Technique of Color Photography, The Artist in His Studio, Vogue: The First 100 Years, Vogue History of Fashion Photography, and others.

Subject files were organized by Liberman for a wide variety of work projects, activities, topics, and entities of interest. Files cover commissions, the filming and distribution of the 1981 documentary film Alexander Liberman: A Lifetime Burning, Liberman's personal collection of art, gifts of artwork, and his relationship with galleries and dealers, particularly André Emmerich Gallery.

Exhibition files document exhibitions of Liberman's artwork, and include those held at André Emmerich Gallery, Bennington College, the Guggenheim, Museum of Modern Art, among other venues. Files contain correspondence, contracts, photographs, plans and drawings, notes, etc. Also found are inventory records of Liberman's artwork in the form of lists, index cards, bound registers, and notes.

Ten linear feet of printed materials include exhibition announcements and catalogs, books and book flyers, brochures, calendars, clippings, postcards, posters, press releases, and other materials.

There are scattered drawings and sketches found within the papers, some of which are sketches of sculpture pieces.

Nearly one-half of the collection is comprised of photographs of Liberman and his artwork, and of artists and colleagues, many of which were taken by noted photographers, including Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier-Bresson, William Klein, Henri Lartique, Annie Leibowitz, Inge Morath, Ugo Mulas, Hans Namuth, Helmut Newton, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Herb Ritts, and Lord Snowden, among others. Subjects of note found in the photographs include Alfred Barr, Salvador Dali, Marlene Dietrich, Willem de Kooning, Andre Emmerich, Helen Frankenthaler, Clement Greenberg, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Barnett Newman, Betty Parsons, Pablo Piccaso, Edward Steichen, Lucien Vogel, and Diana Vreeland, among many others.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into twelve series. Photographs retain Liberman's original numerical and alpha schemas and the corresponding indexes are found in the Inventory Records in Series 8.

Missing Title

Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1930s-1999 (1 linear foot; Box 1, 56)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1944-1997 (4 linear feet; Boxes 1-5, 56, OV 65)

Series 3: Interviews, 1946-1996 (1.4 linear feet; Boxes 5-7, 56)

Series 4: Writings, 1948-1995 (0.9 linear feet; Boxes 7-8)

Series 5: Writing Project Files, 1951-1997 (1.8 linear feet; Boxes 8-9, 56)

Series 6: Subject Files, 1946-2000 (6 linear feet; Boxes 9-15, 56, OV 66-67)

Series 7: Exhibition Files, 1954-1991 (0.7 linear feet; Boxes 15-16, 56, OV 68)

Series 8: Inventory Records, 1938-1998 (6 linear feet; Boxes 16-22)

Series 9: Printed Materials, 1932-2003 (10 linear feet; Boxes 22-31, 56-57, OV 69)

Series 10: Artwork, circa 1940s-1990s (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 32, 57, OV 70)

Series 11: Photographic Materials, circa 1912-1999 (26 linear feet; Boxes 32-55, 57-64, OVs 71-77)

Series 12: Unidentified Sound and Video Recordings, circa 1941-1999 (0.8 linear feet; Boxes 55, 64)
Biographical / Historical:
Alexander S. Liberman (1912-1999) was a sculptor, painter, photographer, graphic designer, writer, and publishing executive who worked primarily in New York City. He held senior positions at Condé Nast Publications for 32 years.

Alexander Semeonovitch Liberman was born in 1912 in Kiev Russia. He was educated in London and the École des Beaux Art in Paris. He began his journalistic career in Paris at VU magazine owned by Lucien Vogel and there he befriended photographers Henri Cartier-Bresson, Brassai, Robert Capa, and André Kértesz. He served in the French army for a short time in 1940, but he and his family fled Paris in 1941 to New York City. Condé Nast hired Liberman in 1941 as an assistant to the art director of Vogue magazine. Liberman became art director in 1943 and editorial director of Condé Nast Publications in 1962, a position he held until his retirement in 1994.

Liberman was also a photographer whose subjects included Georges Braque, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and Marlene Dietrich, among others, many represented in his 1960 book entitled The Artist in his Studio and Marlene: An Intimate Photographic Memoir (1992). He was also the subject of the work of noted photographers Cecil Beaton, Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gordon Parks, Lord Snowden, Jill Krementz, Henri Lartique, Annie Leibovitz, and Hans Namuth.

Liberman took up painting and sculpting in the 1950s. Although his first exhibition was at the Betty Parsons Gallery, he was primarily associated with the André Emmerich Gallery in New York City. His monumental sculptures were mostly assembled from industrial parts and painted and can be seen in museums and public sites worldwide.

Liberman was briefly married to Hildegarde Sturm. He married his second wife Tatiana Yacovleff du Plessix in 1942. Before their marriage, they fled occupied France together. She was a noted hat designer, working for Henri Bendel and Saks, where she became known as Tatiania of Saks. She died in 1991 and, in 1992, Liberman married Melinda Pechangco, a nurse who had earlier cared for Tatiania. Alexander Liberman died in 1999 in Miami, Florida.
Related Materials:
Related collections found at the Archives of American Art include the Dodie Kazanjian and Calvin Tomkins research materials on Alexander Liberman and numerous collections of gallery records.
Provenance:
The Alexander Liberman papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Liberman Art Partners in 2010 via Dodie Kazanjian.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. research center. Contact Reference Services for more information. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Rights:
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.
Occupation:
Publishers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Graphic designers  Search this
Topic:
Photographers -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photography  Search this
Sculptors -- France -- Paris  Search this
Fashion photography  Search this
Painters -- France -- Paris  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Photographers -- France -- Paris  Search this
Genre/Form:
Drafts (documents)
Drawings
Scrapbooks
Interviews
Photographs
Sketches
Sound recordings
Transcripts
Video recordings
Citation:
Alexander Liberman Papers, circa 1912-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Identifier:
AAA.libealex
See more items in:
Alexander Liberman papers
Archival Repository:
Archives of American Art
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/mw942e7024f-773e-4db8-b545-31138550580a
EDAN-URL:
ead_collection:sova-aaa-libealex
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