United States. Works Progress Administration Search this
Extent:
2.8 Linear feet
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Date:
circa 1900-1970
Summary:
The papers of artist Joseph Stella measure 2.8 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to 1970. The papers shed light on his life and career through biographical materials, mixed personal and professional corresponence, writings by Stella and others, printed materials, and photographic materials.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of artist Joseph Stella measure 2.8 linear feet and date from circa 1900 to 1970. The papers shed light on his life and career through biographical materials, personal and professional corresponence, writings by Stella and others, printed materials, and photographic materials.
Biographical materials include address books and loose addresses for contacts in the U.S. and abroad, calling cards, business cards, inventories of Stella's artwork, financial papers, drawings and artwork by children and others, several oversized sketches by Stella, papers from the Federation of Modern Painters and Sculptors Inc., a ration book from World War II, one contract from the Cooperative Gallery, and other miscellaneous personal papers. Correspondence includes mostly letters received by Stella from art organizations, museums, dealers, family members, and colleagues including the Museum of Modern Art, Artists for Victory, ACA Gallery, M. Knoedler & Co., the Whitney Museum, Andrew Bondi, Marie Dumoulard, Katherine Dreier, August Mosca, and Charmion von Wiegand. An invitation to a lecture on Joseph Stella by Phyllis Ackerman is also present. Writings in Italian and English include an autobiography by Stella, essays about his life and work, poems, loose notes about his paintings and materials, and three notebooks. Writings about Stella by others, drafts of letters (especially in Italian), and some sketches are also present. Printed materials consist of newspaper clippings mostly concerning Stella's career, exhibition invitations and catalogs, printed reproductions of Stella's artwork, reference material, and more. Photographic materials include portraits of Stella, photos from his studio and travels, and the artist with friends and family; images of his artwork; and several photos from exhibitions.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as five series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, circa 1915-1970 (Boxes 1, 4, OV 5; .3 linear feet)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1921-1960 (Box 1; .8 linear feet)
Series 3: Writings, circa 1920s-1940s (Box 2; .5 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Materials, 1896, 1912-1963 (Boxes 2-4, OV 5)
Series 5: Photographic Materials, circa 1900-1960 (Boxes 3-4, OV 5; .5 linear feet)
Biographical / Historical:
Joseph Stella (1877-1946) was a New York City Painter and draughtsman who immigrated from Muro Lucano Italy in 1896. He received a traditional education while in Italy. At the suggestion of his brother, a medical doctor, Stella studied medicine for two years before leaving that path for his art. His primary subjects to draw and paint during this time were immigrants, laborers, and others he saw in the streets of New York City. Giotto, Masaccio, and Andrea Mantegna were his primary influences at the time. In circa 1899, Stella began taking classes at the Art Students League of New York, studying under William Merritt Chase. He received a scholarship for a year's tuition and began exhibiting his artwork shortly after. In 1902, Stella was sent to Pittsburgh by the periodical The Survey to paint scenes of that city. Illustrating for periodicals became his primary source of income during this period. In 1909, Stella moved to Italy to study glazing, and in 1911, he moved to Paris, where he encountered Fauvism, Cubism, and Futurism for the first time. During these few years in Europe, he befriended Marcel Gromaire, Jules Pascin, Umberto Boccioni, Gino Severini, and Amedeo Modigliani. Stella returned from Europe in 1912 and had three paintings exhibited in the 1913 Armory Show. Several years later, his subject matter shifted towards New York architecture, and he created some of his most well-known works including Brooklyn Bridge (1919-20) and New York Interpreted (1922). Bourgeois Gallery exhibited Stella's work from the late teens until the artist went to Dudensing Galleries in 1925. The following year, he moved to Naples and returned to the U.S. in 1934. In 1936, Stella had a solo exhibition at Cooperative Gallery in Newark, New Jersey; and the gallery exhibited his work for the rest of his life. There was a retrospective of Stella's work at The Newark Museum in 1936 and solo shows at Associated American Artists (1941) and Knoedler Galleries (1942). Other galleries who exhibited Stella's work include Valentine Gallery, New York, Galerie Sloden, Paris, Galerie Jeune Peinture, Paris, and Zabriskie Gallery, New York. From 1935 to 1937, he worked for the Works Progress Administration in the easel division. Stella served on the exhibition committee of Societe Anonyme, was a director of the Salons of America, and a member of the Federation of Painters and Sculptors Inc. He died of heart failure in 1946.
Separated Materials:
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming on reel 5137 (frames 1-63) including 29 loose sketches and a 16-page sketchbook by Joseph Stella. The materials were returned to Alan Pensler after microfilming, and are not described in the collection container inventory.
Provenance:
The Joseph Stella papers were donated in three installments. Stella's nephew, Sergio Stella, donated records in 1971 and 1986. Alan Pensler, a Washington, D.C. art dealer who acquired the papers from a woman who purchased the home and its contents of Dr. Giovanni Stella, Stella's brother, donated records in 1996.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
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:
Draftsmen (artists) -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Joseph Stella papers, circa 1900-1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.
The papers of Italian-American sculptor, educator, printmaker, and painter Italo Scanga, date from circa 1930 to 2001 and measure 15.4 linear feet. The papers focus on Scanga's work as an artist but also include scattered teaching materials. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, artist files, exhibition and gallery files, professional files, a video recording, and printed material.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of Italian-American sculptor, educator, printmaker, and painter Italo Scanga, date from circa 1930 to 2001 and measure 15.4 linear feet. The papers focus on Scanga's work as an artist but also include scattered teaching materials. Found are biographical materials, correspondence, artist files, exhibition and gallery files, professional files, a video recording, and printed material.
Of note are files containing correspondence, photographs, and printed materials on Dale Chihuly, a friend and collaborator of Italo Scanga. Considerable material is also found for Richard Merkin, William Schwedler, and Gary Stoneman.
Arrangement:
This collection is arranged as 6 series.
Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1930-2001 (2.5 linear feet; Box 1-3)
Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1950s-2000s (3.4 linear feet; Box 3-6, 17)
Series 3: Artist Files, 1957-2000s (3.4 linear feet; Box 6-10, 16)
Series 4: Exhibition and Gallery Files, 1973-2001 (1.1 linear feet; Box 10-12)
Series 5: Professional Files, 1971-2001 (0.6 linear feet; Box 12)
Series 6: Printed Material, 1950s-2000s (3.5 linear feet; Box 12-17)
Biographical / Historical:
Italo Scanga (1932-2001) was a sculptor, painter, and educator based in San Diego, California.
Born in Calabria, Italy in 1932, Italo Scanga and his family immigrated to the United States in 1946 and settled in Michigan. After graduating from high school, Scanga worked on the assembly line of General Motors and enlisted in the United States Army, serving in Austria in the early 1950s. Upon returning to Michigan, Scanga studied at Michigan State University where he received his MFA in sculpture in 1961.
Scanga's career was marked by a dual love of teaching and creating art. He accepted many teaching positions at various institutions including the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the Tyler School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Pilchuck Glass School, and the University of California, San Diego. He created works of art in various forms of media including sculpture, sometimes using found-objects, prints, ceramics, glass, painting, and mixed-media. His works combined fine art, craft, and kitsch.
Scanga married Mary Louise Ashley in 1956 and together they had five children. Later, he married artist Stephanie Smedley. Italo Scanga died in 2001 and is survived by his partner, Su Mei Yu, a restauranteur and his five children, Katherine, Sarah, Anthony, Joseph, and William.
Provenance:
The Italo Scanga Foundation via Joseph and Katherine Scanga, Italo Scanga's children, donated the papers in 2002.
Restrictions:
This collection is open for research. 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 References Services for more information.
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.
25 Items (photographic prints, some sepia toned, 19 x 24 cm. and smaller.)
4 Photographic prints (col., 10 x 15 cm.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Date:
1896-1950
bulk 1898-1906
Scope and Contents:
25 photographs, including several posed portraits, of du Vannes, du Vannes with his wives, with a client, painting in his St. Paul and New York studios, and in his New York art gallery. Also included are four color photos, including one of du Vannes' son, Armand, with paintings by his father, mother, and a portrait of Armand by Benton Scott, and one each of the paintings. A caricature of du Vannes from the St. Paul Dispatch, ca. 1902, captioned "Albert di Giovanni - The Young St. Paul Artist Who Left for New York Yesterday," signed Rhodes, and a brief biography of du Vannes by his son complete the collection.
Biographical / Historical:
Landscape and portrait painter, art dealer; New York, N.Y. Born Albert Di Giovanni in Naples, Italy. Came to the U.S. in 1894, first to St. Paul, Minnesota, moving ca. 1902 to New York City. Later gave up painting and opened up an art gallery. Changed his name in 1926. Died in Naples, Italy.
Provenance:
Donated 1990 by Armand du Vannes, Albert du Vannes' son.
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.
Occupation:
Landscape painters -- New York (State) Search this
The three letters from artist Luigi Lucioni to art historian Nelson C. White measure 0.02 linear feet and are dated June 5, 1922, June 27, 1923, and December 11, 1927. In these letters, which reflect the friendship between Lucioni and White, Lucioni writes about various topics the two correspondents had discussed in person, including the National Academy of Design, his studio and work, and novels and plays that interest him.
Scope and Contents:
The three letters from artist Luigi Lucioni to art historian Nelson C. White measure 0.02 linear feet and are dated June 5, 1922, June 27, 1923, and December 11, 1927. In these letters, which reflect the friendship between Lucioni and White, Lucioni writes about various topics the two correspondents had discussed in person, including the National Academy of Design, his studio and work, and novels and plays that interest him.
Arrangement:
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.
Series 1:Luigi Lucioni letters to Nelson C. White, 1922-1927 (Folder 1; 3 Items)
Biographical / Historical:
Connecticut painter, art historian, and collector, Nelson C. White (1900-1989), was born in Waterford, Connecticut. Son of artist Henry C. White, Nelson was a friend of the artist Luigi Lucioni (1900-1988), a realist painter best known for his landscapes of Vermont and portraits of opera singers.
Provenance:
The Luigi Lucioni letters to Nelson C. White,1922-1927, were donated in 2017 by George Cooke White, Nelson C. White's son.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center.
Italian-American artists, 1945-1968 : a limited survey, works on paper / curated by Anthony Panzera, Lisa Panzera Melchor ; assisted by Eloise Romais Jacobs
