Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Isamu Noguchi, 1973 Nov. 7-Dec. 26. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America Search this
Type:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Place:
Italy -- description and travel
Michigan -- Detroit -- Description and travel
Mississippi -- Description and travel
Citation:
Quotes and excerpts must be cited as follows: Oral history interview with Niels Diffrient, 2010 July 28-August 31. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
An interview of Niels Diffrient conducted 2010 July 28 and August 31, by Matilda McQuaid, for the Archives of American Art's Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America, at Diffrient's home and studio, in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Diffrient speaks of growing up in Detroit while spending his summers with his mother's family in Mississippi; the value of growing up on a farm; attending Cass Technical High School in Detroit; realizing that he did not want to work in a factory; learning about crafts at Cranbrook Academy; travelling to Italy on a Fulbright Grant; working with Italian versus American designers; designing office chairs; the state of education in America. Diffrient's wife, Helena Hernmarck, contributes to the discussion of craft, weaving, and textiles. Diffrient also recalls Hans and Florence Knoll, Eero Saarinen, Eliel Saarinen, Chuck Bassett, David Rowland, Henry Dreyfuss, Bob King, Carl Magnusson, Raymond Loewy, Henry Wolf, Elizabeth Whelan, and others.
Biographical / Historical:
Niels Diffrient (1928-2013) is an industrial designer in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Matilda McQuaid (1958-) is deputy curatorial director, Cooper Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 2 memory cards. Reformatted in 2010 as 4 digital wav files. Duration is 2 hr., 58 min.
Provenance:
This interview is part of the Archives of American Art Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and administrators.
Occupation:
Industrial designers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Interviews
Sound recordings
Sponsor:
Funding for this interview was provided by the Nanette L. Laitman Documentation Project for Craft and Decorative Arts in America.
5.3 Linear feet (Boxes 1-6, OV 47; Reels 5708-5717)
Type:
Archival materials
Date:
1923-1986
Scope and Contents note:
Correspondents in this series include a wide range of international architects, designers, and artists who interacted with Breuer. The letters discuss his training and the execution of his hundreds of architectural projects and designs for furnishings. Researchers will find the letters between Breuer and his Bauhaus colleagues, including Josef Albers, Herbert Bayer, Walter Gropius, and László Moholy-Nagy, of particular interest.
Appendix A: List of Notable Correspondents from Series 2: Correspondence
Arrangement note:
The files are arranged chronologically, with the undated letters arranged alphabetically according to the correspondents' surnames.
Appendix A: List of Notable Correspondents from Series 2: Correspondence:
Missing Title
Aalto, Alvar, 1964 (1 invitation): to reception honoring Aalto
Abercrombie, Stan (architect), 1964-1977 (8 letters)
Abramovitz, Max (Harrison & Abramovitz, Architects), 1947 (3 letters) and 1963 invitation from Brandeis University in honor of Abramovitz
Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1975 (2 letters): from Breuer's office Académie d'Architecture, 1976-1979 (4 letters)
Acme Laboratory Equipment Company, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer's office ács, Gábor and Anikó, 1956 (1 letter)
Agel, Jerome B. (Agel & Friend), 1959 (1 letter): includes press release
Agostini, Edward (Becker and Becker Associates), 1969 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Airflow Refrigeration, 1954: (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Alabama Polytechnic Institute, 1947 (1 letter)
Albers, Josef ("Juppy") and Anni (Black Mountain College), 1933-1958 (11 letters): a 1956 letter includes miscellaneous typescripts by Albers and clippings; a 1965 letter to the Phoenix Art Museum from William A. Leonard of the Contemporary Arts Center concerns an Albers exhibition and includes a list of works; a 1967 letter from Breuer to National Institute of Arts and Letters includes a typescript concerning Albers
Alexander, H. J. W. (Architectural Association), 1957-1958 (4 letters)
Alpern, Robert, 1964 (letter from Breuer)
B. Altman & Company, 1951 (1 letter)
Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), 1946-1964 (2 letters)
Aluminum Import Corporation, 1946 (2 letters)
Alvarez, Raúl J., 1968 (1 letter)
American Academy in Rome, 1947-1961 (4 letters): request recommendations for Frederic S. Coolidge, Arthur Myhrum, and Thomas B. Simmons
American Academy of Arts and Letters, 1965-1978 (10 letters): a letter 1967 is a nomination by Walter Gropius for Sigfried Giedion's honorary membership in American Academy of Arts and Letters and National Institute of Arts and Letters; see National Institute of Arts and Letters
American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1977 (1 letter)
American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1946 (1 letter)
American Arbitration Association, 1960-1968 (52 letters)
American Church in Paris, 1966 (1 letter): from Robert F. Gatje
American Council for Emigres in the Professions, Inc., undated: letter introduces Viola Kondor
American Craftsmen's Council (Mrs. Vanderbilt Webb), 1967 (1 letter)
American Designer's Institute, 1947 (convention schedule)
American Export and Isbrandtsen Lines, 1963 (1 letter)
American Federation of Arts, 1958-1967 (8 letters)
American Field Service, 1956 (1 ): letter from Breuer on behalf of Danielle Eyquem
American Fork & Hoe Company, 1944 (1 letter)
American Hungarian Studies Foundation (August J. Molnár), 1964-1968 (10 letters): a 1967 invitation is to George Washington Awards Dinner in honor of Breuer, Watson Kirkconnel, and Hans Selye
American Institute of Architects, 1946-1976 (45 letters): membership applications for Edward Larrabee Barnes, Landis Gores, John MacL. Johansen, George Sherman Lewis, A. McVoy McIntyre, Robert Hays Rosenberg, Bernard Rudofsky); a 1963 letter from Breuer's office concerns a Skyscraper Architecture survey team from Japan; a 1968 letter concerns the Comité Organizador de Los Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada
American Institute of Architects, College of Fellows, 1976 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Institute of Architects, Jury of Fellows, 1960 (3 letters): from Breuer
American Institute of Architects, Library Buildings Award Program, 1967 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Institute of Architects, New York Chapter, 1945-1963 (16 letters)
American Institute of Decorators (Richard F. Bach), 1956 (1 letter)
American Institute of Interior Design in Switzerland (Charles D. Gandy and Susan Zimmermann), 1977-1978 (2 letters)
American-Jewish Congress: see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI)
American Library Association, 1951-1968 (2 letters)
American Planning and Civic Association, undated: membership notice
American Press Institute, 1974-1975 (5 letters): from Breuer
American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation, 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
American Shakespeare Festival, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Society for Church Architecture, 1965-1966 (4 letters)
American Society for Friendship with Switzerland, 1969 (1 letter)
American Society of Interior Decorators, 1976 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA), 1945-1947 (12 letters)
Anderson, Lawrence B., 1945-1965 (2 letters): see American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA)
András, Ivánka, 1957 (1 letter)
Andrews, Robert, 1956 (1 letter)
Aoyagi, Nobuo, 1964 (1 letter)
Aoyagi, Tetsu, 1965 (1 letter)
Arbelaez, Carlos, 1952 (1 letter): from Breuer)
Architects & Engineers Institute, 1959 (1 letter)
Architects' Collaborative, 1946-1959 (3 letters): see McMillan, Louis and Peggy
Architectural Association, London, 1965-1969 (7 letters): see project file for UNESCO for correspondence with Edward J. Carter Architectural Design, 1960 (1 letter): from Ernesto Fuenmayor and Manuel Sayago of Centro Profesional del Este)
Architectural Forum, 1960 (1 letter): from Leonard J. Currie
Architectural Group, (W. D. Wilson), 1947 (1 letter)
Architectural League of New York, 1947-1975: (26 letters and minutes from 6 meetings): see Ketchum, Morris
Architectural Record, 1946-1959 (9 letters)
Architectural Students Association, 1958 (1 letter)
Architecture Formes Fonctions, 1971 (3 letters): includes a typescript "Design Research in Concrete" for July 1971 magazine
Architektur + Wohnwelt, 1975 (3 letters)
Argan, Giulio Carlo, 1955-1957 (6 letters)
Arizona, University of, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Bergen County Cut Stone Company, 1967 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Bergen, Emiel, 1956 (1 letter)
Berger, Donald (North Dakota Agricultural College), 1953 (1 letter)
Berger, George, 1950 (1 letter)
Berger, Otti, undated and 1934-1937 (7 letters)
Berger, Sanford and Helen (architects), 1945 (1 letter): from
Breuer to László Moholy-Nagy and Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe introducing the Bergers
Berger, Stephen E., 1959 (1 letter)
Berizzi, Sergio, 1959 (4 letters): letters of introduction
Berko, Franz, 1946-1947 (5 letters): including one from László Moholy-Nagy
Berlin Interbau, (International Building Exhibition), 1957 (1 letter): from mayor of Berlin
Berndt, Marianne, 1933 (1 letter)
Berti, Vincent, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Better-Philadelphia Exhibition (Richard A. Protheroe, Harry
B. Nason, Hugh B. Sutherland), 1947 (1 letter)
Bevington, Alistair M., 1959 (1 letter): includes résumé
Bevington, Mariette (stained-glass designer), 1967 (1 letter): to Herbert Beckhart
Bharadwaj, Ajaya, 1955 (2 letters)
Biasini, E. J. (French prime minister), 1972 (1 letter)
Biddle, Mrs. Francis, 1962-1968 (3 letters): includes a funeral announcement for her husband)
Biddle, George, 1965 (4 letters): 3 from Breuer
Bier, Justus (University of Louisville), 1938 (3 letters)
Bigeleisen, Jacob (University of Rochester), 1970 (1 letter) Ronald S. Biggins and Associates, 1958 (1 letter)
Bijenkorfbeheer N.V., Amsterdam, 1967-1974 (2 letters): from Breuer
Bill, Alexander H., Jr., undated (1 calling card)
Blake, Peter (architect), undated and 1950-1976 (41 letters): a 1958 letter from Breuer is illustrated with a hand-drawn map by
Blake of Easthampton property
Blanton, John A., 1951 (1 letter)
Blaustein, Morton K., 1963-1965 (2 letters)
Bliss, Douglas P. (Glasgow School of Art), 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
Bloeme, Sidney, 1963 (1 memorandum): from James S. Plaut
Blum, Kurt (photographer), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Bode, Paul (architect), 1956 (1 letter)
Bodri, Ferenc, 1967-1975 (3 letters): 2 1975 letters from Breuer
Boehringer Ingelheim, Ltd., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Bogner, Walter, 1938-1960 (4 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Boissonnas, Eric and Sylvie, undated and 1960-1978 (20 letters)
Bollingen Foundation, 1964 (1 invitation): to reception in honor of Sigfried Giedion
Bonaparte, Mrs. Robert L., 1955 (1 letter)
Bonomi, Maria, undated and 1958 (2 letters)
Bookman, Mrs. John, 1964 (1 letter)
Borbíró, Virgil (Hungarian architect), 1945-1956 (2 letters): includes Borbíró's obituary
Borglum, Paul, 1950 (1 letter): see Project File for UNESCO
Born, Karl, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Borsódy, István ("Stephen"; historian; Hungarian Legation) and Zsóka, 1946-1965 (5 letters): 1951 letter includes a biographical sketch of Borsódy by Aladár Szegedy-Maszák
Bortfeldt, Hermann (Büro Willy Brandt), 1963 (1 letter)
Bosch, Robert, 1934 (2 letters)
Bosserman, Joseph Norwood, 1963-1967 (2 letters)
Bosshard, J., 1956 (1 letter)
Boston Architectural Center, 1968 (1 letter)
Boston Redevelopment Authority, 1970 (1 letter)
Boston Society of Architects, 1946 (1 letter): from Breuer to John R. Abbott
Botond, Stephen G. ("Pista"; architect), 1958-1960 (2 letters): includes wedding announcement for Botond and Patricia Potter Luce
Bouchet, Maxime, 1953 (5 letters)
Bourget, Inc., 1955 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Bower, John, 1954 (1 letter)
Bozzola, Vittorio, 1964 (2 letters)
Bradford, Carol (Mrs. Amory H. Bradford), 1951 (1 letter): from Breuer
Brandon-Jones, John, 1958 (1 letter)
Brandstätter, Elsbeth, 1936-1937 (2 letters)
Brassaï, Gyula Halász (Romanian photographer), undated (1 calling card): no signature
Peter Bratti Associates, 1974-1975 (2 letters): from Breuer
Bratti, Peter (A. Tozzini Tile Works, Inc.), 1958 (1 letter)
Braun, Wolfgang, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Braziller, George, 1966 (1 letter)
Bremer, Paul and Nina, 1975 (2 letters)
Breuer, Constance (née Leighton), 1947-1982 (22 letters): from Breuer and Breuer's office; a 1967 letter, 1967, from French filmmaker Gerard Calisti is routed from Robert Osborn; an invitation from M. Knoedler and Company concerns reception for Lina Kandinsky
Breuer, Francesca, undated and 1966-1973 (3 letters): includes a letter of recommendation from Tician Papachristou
Breuer, Hermina, 1950 (1 telegram): from Breuer
Brewer-Cantelmo Company, Inc., 1966 (3 letters): from Breuer's office
Brewer, Joseph, 1965 (1 letter)
Brewster, George W. W., Jr., undated and 1946 (2 letters)
Brey, David M. (architect), 1950 (1 letter)
Breydert, Katherine, 1946 (1 letter)
Brickel/Eppinger, Inc., 1963 (3 letters)
Brigham, Richard C., 1954 (1 letter)
Brion, Maud (secretary to Eric Cercler), 1966-1972 (10 letters)
Brissenden, Norine (Mrs. P. R. Brissenden), 1947 (1 letter)
British Chair Company, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
General Electric Appliances, Inc., 1947 (1 letter)
General Electric Company, 1943-1950 (6 letters)
General Fireproofing Company, 1943-1946 (4 letters)
Georges, Alexandre (photographer), 1974-1976 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Geraghty, Margaret, 1960 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Gerbman, Joyce, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Giedion-Welcker, Sigfried and Carola, undated and 1932-1976 (62 letters): see Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM; Chapter for Relief and Post-War Planning)
Grimball, Henry G. (Harvard University), 1950 (1 letter)
Gropius, Walter ("Pius") and Ise ("Pia"), undated and 1933-1969 (120 letters): see Harvard University, Graduate School of Design; Project File for UNESCO
Grosse Pointe Public Library, 1960 (1 letter)
Grossi, Olindo (Architectural League of New York), 1957 (4 letters): see Pratt Institute; see Project File for UNESCO
Grosswirth, M. (New York University, College of Engineering), 1958 (1 letter)
Gröte, Dr. Andreas and Laura, 1961-1967 (3 letters)
Gröte, Ludwig and Gertrud Maud, 1956-1967 (5 letters)
Groupe Espace, 1952-1954 (5 letters)
Gruber, Gerd, 1965-1967 (2 letters)
Gruber, Richard D. (Independent Oil Company of Connecticut, Inc.), 1970 (1 letter)
Gruzen, Barney Sumner, 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer
Gstrein, Kassian, 1936 (1 letter)
Guenther, Carl Frederic, 1958 (1 letter)
Guerrero, Pedro E. (photographer), 1955 (1 letter): from Breuer
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1964 (1 letter): concerns the loan from Breuer of an Alexander Calder work
Guilford Leather Company, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer
Gumbel, Robert W., 1950 (1 letter)
Gutheim, Polly (Mrs. Frederick A. Gutheim), 1946 (1 letter)
Haas, Robert (Ram Press), 1954-1957 (8 letters): from Breuer's office
Hächler, W. (architect), 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hack, Lynda, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hackett, Gabriel D. (photographer), 1963 (1 letter)
Hackley Art Museum, 1977 (3 letters)
Hagenbach, Marguerite: see Arp, Hans Jean
Hagerty, Francis (Hagerty Company), 1945 (2 letters)
Hagerty, John, 1958 (1 letter)
Haggerty, Brian (Sacred Heart Seminary), 1964 (1 letter)
Hagmann, John S. (and Robert A. M. Stern), undated (1 letter)
Hagood, M. Lindsey (Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Architectural Speakers Committee), 1952 (3 letters)
Hahn, Alexander, 1957-1958 (2 letters)
Halász, Dezso (International Union of Local Authorities), 1957-1959 (3 letters)
Halász, Ferenc, 1959 (2 letters)
Halborg, Rev. John E. (Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Advent), 1968 (1 letter)
Hall, John Hughes (Nardin & Radoczy), 1956-1957 (2 letters)
Halprin, Lawrence, 1966-1970 (2 letters)
Halverson, Marvin (National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA), 1955-1956 (4 letters)
Halvorson, Roy E., 1956-1971 (4 letters)
Hambuechen, Dr. Eva-Dorothee, 1937 (1 letter)
Hamer, R. D. (Aluminium Laboratories Ltd.), 1946 (1 letter)
Hammett, Ralph W., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Hancy, L., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Hansen, Thomas L. (University of Colorado, Boulder), 1956 (1 letter)
Hanson, B. (Mrs. John Hanson), 1955-1967 (3 letters)
Haraszty, Eszter, undated and 1956 (2 letters)
Harbert, Guido, 1950 (1 letter)
Hardoy, Jorge Ferrari (architect), 1965 (1 letter)
Hendry, Charles E. ("Chick"; University of Tornoto), 1950 (2 letters): see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) of the American Jewish Congress
Henin, Mme. S., 1956 (2 letters)
Henze, Wilfried, 1964 (1 letter)
Herbe, Paul (architect), 1963 (1 letter)
Herford, Julius G., 1945 (1 letter)
Herman, Harold M., undated (1 letter)
Hermanson, Ray T. (Trynor & Hermanson, Architects), 1957 (1 letter)
Herrera, Alberto Rodriguez (El Recreo, Centro Profesional del Este), 1960 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Herrey, Hermann (architect), 1946-1947 (3 letters)
Herter, Susan and Chris, undated (1 letter)
Hertner, W. (architect), 1939 (1 letter)
Hertzell, Tage (Meningsblad for Unge Arkitekter), 1956 (1 letter)
Hervé, Lucien, 1960 (4 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Herz, Alexandra, 1965-1967 (2 letters)
Hess, Orvan W., 1976 (1 letter)
Hester, James M. (New York University, Washington Square), 1963-1970 (2 letters)
Hetényi, George, 1954 (1 letter)
Heyer, Paul O., 1965-1970 (11 letters)
Heyman, Marla, undated (1 letter)
Heywood-Wakefield Company (Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Paul Posser), 1944 (6 letters)
Higgins, Ambrose S. (architect), 1947 (1 letter)
Hill, Albert Henry, 1950-1951 (2 letters)
Hill and Knowlton, Inc., 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Hill, Henry and Heather, 1950-1964 (7 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Hirschfeld, Ludwig, undated and 1935-1963 (18 letters)
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, 1975 (2 letters): from Breuer
Hudnut, Joseph ("Vi"; Harvard University) and Claire, undated and 1946-1947 (3 letters): see American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA); Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM), Chapter for Relief and Post-War Planning; Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
Hug, Hattula Moholy-Nagy (daughter of László Moholy-Nagy), 1976 (1 letter)
Hungarian Alumni Association, undated (1 letter): includes a hand-drawn map, 8 photographs of Hungarian cityscapes, 4 photographs of city views, and a drawing of the facade of a building
Hunter, Louise, 1947 (1 letter)
Hurley, Jane C., 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hurwitz, Joe, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Hutchhausen, Walther, 1937 (1 letter)
Hutchins, John Jay (Law Offices of S. G. Archibald), 1963-1969 (14 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Hutton: E. F. Hutton Company, 1946-1951 (7 letters)
Huygens, W., 1957 (1 letter)
Ichban [?], Hans ("Zero"), undated and 1939 (2 letters)
Ikuta, Tsutomu, 1951 (1 letter)
Illinois, University of, Chapter of AIA, 1959 (2 letters)
Illinois, University of, Urbana, 1957-1964 (4 letters)
Ilmanen, J. William, 1955-1956 (2 letters)
Immanuel, M., 1946 (2 letters)
India, ambassador from, 1965 (1 invitation): to Nehru
N.V. Induventa, 1935 (1 letter)
Ingrand, Max, undated (2 letters)
Institute der Schwestern, Baldegg, Switzerland, 1970-1975 (5 letters): 4 from Breuer
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton University, 1970 (1 letter)
Institute of Contemporary Art, 1954-1956 (3 letters): see Project File for UNESCO
Institute of Contemporary Art, Department of Design in Industry, 1951 (3 notices of meetings)
Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1953-1959 (6 letters)
Institute of International Education, 1960-1961 (4 letters)
Instituto Internazionale di Arte Liturgica, 1970 (1 letter)
Interiors Incorporated, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Interiors International, 1963 (4 letters)
Interiors magazine, 1950 (1 letter)
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), 1963-1974 (4 letters): 2 from Breuer
International Business Machines (IBM) Deutschland, 1970 (1 letter)
International Congress for Engineering Education, 1947 (2 letters)
International Congress for Modern Architecture: see Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM)
International Contract Furnishings, Inc., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
International Design Conference, Aspen, Colorado, 1953-1955 (4 letters)
International Lighting Review, 1961 (1 letter)
International Rescue Committee, Inc., undated (1 letter)
Iowa State College, 1960 (1 letter): see Myers, John S.
Iran, empress of, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Irving & Casson/A. H. Davenport Company, 1945 (1 letter): see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI)
Irving, Michael H. (Irving and Jacob), undated and 1968-1971 (4 letters)
Kennedy, John Fitzgerald, 1961-1963 (3 letters): from the White House
Kennedy, Robert Woods (first architect in Gropius-Breuer office, Cambridge, Massachusetts), undated and 1950 (3 letters): see American Society of Planners and Architects (ASPA)
Kennerly, Albert (Kennerly Construction Company, Inc.), 1947 (1 letter)
Keogh, Eugene J. (Halpin, Keogh & St. John), 1970 (1 letter)
Kepes, György (architect) and Juliet, undated and 1924-1978 (29 letters)
Maas, Carl ("Happy"/"Hap"; editor, House Beautiful), 1937-1946 (6 letters)
Maas, Walter, 1947 (1 letter): from Breuer
Macomber, George A. (Cambridge Trust Company), 1947 (2 letters)
Madison, Bob, 1951 (1 letter)
I. Magnin, San Francisco, 1961 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Magyar Album, 1956 (1 letter)
Magyar épitomuvészek Szövetsége magazine, 1956-1977 (4 letters)
Maki, Fumihiko (Harvard University), 1963 (1 letter) George E. Mallison Importing Company, 1950-1955 (2 letters)
Manders, Dave, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Mandl, Zoltán, 1939 (1 letter)
Manfred, Ernest F., 1966 (1 letter)
Mang, Karl (architect), 1967 (1 letter)
Manitoba, University of, Students' Architectural Society, 1953 (1 letter)
Mantel, H. J., 1951 (1 letter)
Manton, Mr. and Mrs. John, 1967 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Marbleloid, Inc., 1946 (1 letter)
Marine-Air-Research Corporation, 1946 (1 letter): from Breuer
Maroy, Jean-Paul, 1981 (1 letter): from Robert F. Gatje William L. Marshall, Ltd., 1944-1947 (8 letters)
Marson, Bernard A. (architect), 1968 (1 letter)
Marston, Natalie (Institute of Contemporary Art), 1951 (1 letter)
Martens, Michel (Hedendaagse Kerkelijke Kunst), 1956-1957 (2 letters)
Martignetti, Antonio, 1956 (1 letter)
Martin, J. L. (architect), 1938 (1 letter)
Martin, Leslie and Sadie, undated and 1954 (3 letters)
Mary College and the Annunciation Priory, 1963-1976 (6 letters)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Art Committee, 1968 (1 letter)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the President, 1961-1965 (2 letters)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, 1958-1960 (4 letters)
Massachusetts, University of, Amherst, 1968 (1 letter)
Massenot, J. P. (éditions Techniques), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office Master, Dipak C. (Master Sathe and Kothari, Architects), 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Mathews, Joseph F., 1956 (1 letter)
Maucher, Helmut, 1976 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Maurer, Laurie, undated (3 letters)
Mauser Kommandit-Gesellschaft, 1966 (1 letter)
Mayekawa, Kunio, 1963 (1 letter)
McClean-Smith, Betty, 1940 (1 letter)
McComb, Peter K. and Karen, 1954-1956 (4 letters)
McGarry, Ann M., 1947 (1 letter)
McGill University, Montreal, 1967 (1 letter)
McGlynn Associates, Inc., 1956 (1 letter)
McGrath, Raymond (Office of Public Works, Dublin, Ireland), 1937-1969 (9 letters)
McGraw-Hill Publications, 1967 (1 letter)
McGuinness, William J. (Pratt Institute), 1951 (1 letter)
McIntyre, A. McVoy, 1950-1951 (2 letters)
McLaughlin, Peter, 1959 (1 letter)
McMillan, Louis and Peggy (Architects' Collaborative), 1945-1946 (2 letters)
McVitty, John D., 1946 (1 letter)
John O. Meadows Associates, Ltd., 1984-1985 (2 letters)
Medical Economics, 1960 (1 letter)
Meier, Richard Alan, undated and 1957-1967 (5 letters)
Meldrum, Andrew, 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer
Meller, Herbert, 1969-1970 (4 letters)
Mellon, Mary, 1938 (1 letter)
Meng, John J. (Hunter College), 1963 (1 letter)
Menken, Julian (Julian Menken and Associates), 1964 (1 letter)
Merit Studios, Inc., 1965 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Merle, André (André Merle Associates, Architectural Engineers), 1946 (1 letter)
Merrill and Holmbren, Architects, 1954 (1 letter): concerns Campbell Building Company
Merrill, Ruth P., 1950-1964 (2 letters)
Metropolitan Milwaukee War Memorial, Inc., 1945 (4 letters): 1 to Walter Gropius
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1944-1975 (8 letters)
Metropolitan Structures, Inc., 1974 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade, 1969 (2 letters)
Meunier, John, 1957 (1 letter)
México, Consulado Honorario de, 1938 (2 letters)
Meyer-Bohe, Walter, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Michaëlis, Lorenz S. (Swiss doctor), undated (1 letter)
Michel, John (General American Transportation Corporation), 1947-1948 (2 letters)
Michelson, Val (architect), 1970 (1 letter)
Michigan, University of, Ann Arbor, 1957-1963 (19 letters)
Middelhauve, Dr. F. G., 1963 (1 letter)
Mies Van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1945 (1 letter): from Breuer introducing Sanford L. and Helen Berger, architects
Mihályfy, Károlyné, 1966 (1 letter)
Millar, L. R., 1935 (1 letter)
Millard, Charles W., 1957 (1 letter)
Miller Company, 1945-1947 (2 letters)
Miller, Flora W. (Mrs. G. MacCulloch Miller), undated (1 letter)
Miller, H. Wisner, 1968-1969 (2 letters)
Herman Miller Furniture Company, 1951-1954 (4 letters): from Breuer
Miller, Rev. John (St. Charles Seminary), 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Miller, Richard J., 1955 (1 letter)
Miller, Steve, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Milliken, W. H. (Binney & Smith Company), 1951 (1 letter)
Mills, Mrs. Edward E., 1954 (1 letter): from William W. Landsberg
Mills, Willis N. (Sherwood, Mills and Smith, Architects), 1960-1969 (2 letters)
Ministre d'état Chargé des Affaires Culturelles, 1963 (1 letter): from Breuer
Minnesota Society of Architects, 1958 (1 letter)
Minnesota, State of, Board of Registration, 1954 (2 letters)
Minnesota, University of, 1953 (1 letter)
Miró, Joan, 1959-1963 (2 letters): 1 from Breuer
Mitchell and Ritchey, 1947 (2 letters)
Mitchell, Mary, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Miya & Company, 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Modern Industry, 1947 (1 letter)
Modern Master Tapestries, Inc., 1974-1975 (4 letters): from Breuer's office
Moffett, Toby, 1974 (1 letter)
Moholy, Lucia, 1957-1958 (5 letters)
Moholy-Nagy, László ("Lakci") and Sibyl, 1934-1955 (40 letters): includes a 1946 exhibition catalog for a Walter Gropius exhibition at the School of Design, Chicago; see also Hug, Hattula Moholy-Nagy
Moldcast Products, Inc., 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Molitor, Joseph W. (photographer), 1955-1975 (5 letters): 4 from Breuer
Molnár, Farkas (Hungarian architect), undated and 1933-1940 (25 letters)
Mongan, Agnes, 1938 (1 letter)
Montague, Harvey, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Montgomery, Elizabeth (Mrs. Wilmot), 1950 (1 letter)
Moore, Henry, 1946-1962 (13 letters): 6 from Breuer
Moore, Joe A., 1945 (2 letters)
Moore, Paul S. (architect), 1966-1967 (3 letters)
Morassutti, Mangiarotti, 1961 (1 letter)
Moretti, Bruno, 1936 (1 letter)
Morgan, Alice, 1939 (1 letter)
Morgan, Sherley W. (Princeton University), 1952 (3 letters)
Móricz, Miklós, 1947 (1 letter)
Morrell, Mrs. Ben, 1965 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Sydney Morrell & Company, Inc., 1973-1976 (4 letters)
Morris, Walter (Fuller & Smith & Ross, Inc.), 1950 (1 letter)
Morrow, Margot, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Mory, Bob, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Moschette, Angela, 1950 (1 letter)
Motherwell, Robert, 1968 (1 letter)
Muguruza Otaño, José María (architect), 1935-1967 (3 letters)
Mulford, Edwin H., 1966 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Murray, J. A. (University of Toronto School of Architecture), 1947-1956 (3 letters)
Murrow, Mrs. Edward R., 1961 (1 letter)
Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 1969 (2 letters)
Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro, 1954 (1 letter)
Museu de Arte Moderna do São Paulo, 1956 (1 letter concerning IV Bienal de S. Paulo)
Museum of Contemporary Crafts, 1967 (7 letters)
Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1941-1976 (49 letters)
Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, 1967 (3 letters)
Museum of the City of New York, 1959 (2 letters)
Muskat, Irving E., 1968 (2 letters)
Mutsu, Masako, 1964-1965 (2 letters): from Breuer
Myers, John S. and Shirlee, 1955-1959 (4 letters)
Myers, Ralph E., 1958 (2 letters)
Myers, Robert L., 1950 (1 letter)
Nadeau, Eleanor Saxe, 1950 (1 letter)
Nader, Fouzieh, 1972 (2 letters)
Nagare, Masayuki, 1963-1965 (6 letters): 5 letters from Breuer
Nagel, Chester (architect), 1968 (1 letter)
Nagy Iván, Dr. Vitéz (Ministry Secretary), undated (1 letter)
Najibullah, Yousof, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Napier, Frieda (Mrs. Ian Napier), undated and 1937 (7 letters)
Nathan, Carl H. (Suncraft), 1945 (1 letter)
National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council, undated (1 letter)
National Citizens for Johnson and Humphrey, 1964 (1 letter)
National Committee of Arts, Letters and Sciences for John F. Kennedy for President, 1960 (2 letters)
National Concrete Masonry Association, 1958-1959 (7 letters)
National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Architects' Committee, 1944-1945 (13 letters)
National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Building Industry Committee, 1946 (6 letters)
National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, 1946-1959 (5 letters): request recommendations for Jean Bodman Fletcher, I. M. Pei, and Richard G. Stein
National Council of Churches, 1955 (1 letter)
National Council on Schoolhouse Construction, 1951 (1 letter)
National Institute of Arts and Letters, 1965-1968 (47 letters): 1967 letter from Breuer includes typescripts concerning Josef Albers and Constantino Nivola; 1968 encloses a letter from Philip Johnson; see American Academy of Arts and Letters National Society of Interior Designers, Inc., 1958 (1 letter) National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association, 1955 (1 letter from Murray S. Emslie)
National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1975 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Pack, Nancy (Mrs. Howard Meade Pack), undated and 1953 (2 letters)
Paine Furniture Company, 1946 (1 letter)
Pajor, Zoltán, 1938-1947 (7 letters)
Palestrant, Stephen, 1963 (1 letter)
Palmer Physical Laboratory, Princeton, New Jersey, 1945 (1 letter)
Papachristou, Tician and Judy, undated and 1967-1974 (6 letters)
Papadaki, Stamo, 1945-1951 (14 letters): see Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) of the American-Jewish Congress; Congrès Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM), Chapter for Relief and Post-War Planning
Praeger, Frederick A. (Frederick A. Praeger, Inc.), 1959-1969 (19 letters): includes a 1959 transcript of Praeger's conversation with Breuer concerning the publication of a book on Breuer's life work
Pratt Institute, 1953-1969 (11 letters)
Présentè, G. M., 1954 (1 letter): see Project File for UNESCO
Prestressed Concrete Institute, 1970 (1 letter)
Price, Thomas M., 1946 (1 letter)
Prichard, Theodore J. (University of Idaho), 1946-1950 (3 letters)
Schawinsky, Xanti and Irene, undated and 1934-1964 (14 letters)
Schecter, Jack H. (architect), 1950 (1 letter)
Schendell, Hal, 1947 (2 letters): to Eliot Noyes
Schickel, William J., 1964 (1 letter)
Schillinger, Emilio F., 1964 (1 letter)
Schleifer, Fritz, 1934 (1 letter)
Schlemmer, Tut (Mrs. Oscar Schlemmer), 1960-1965 (3 letters)
Schlesinger, Alajos, undated (1 letter)
Schmalenbach, Werner (Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen), 1976 (2 letters)
Schmid, Elsa, 1950 (1 card): sent jointly with J. B. Neumann
Schmidt, Benno C. (J. H. Whitney & Company), 1970 (1 letter)
Schmidt-Gellerau, Karl, 1934 (3 letters)
Schmieg & Kotzian, 1945 (1 letter)
Architekturbüro Joachim Schmitz, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Schnall, Ben (photographer), undated (2 letters) vSchneck, Adolf G. (architect), 1947-1950 (2 letters)
Schneider-Manzell, Toni (Biennale Christlicher Kunst der Gegenwart Salzburg), 1964 (2 letters)
Robert Schoelkopf Gallery, undated (1 invitation): to meet Walker Evans
Schoendorff, Ellen G., 1937 (1 letter)
Schömer, Ervin (architect), 1974-1975 (6 letters)
Schorer, Mark, 1960 (1 letter): from Breuer
Schultz, Lili, 1964 (1 letter)
F. Schumacher & Company, 1954-1964 (2 letters): from Breuer's office
Schuster, Mathias and Gerda (Schuster & Geiger), 1950-1964 (3 letters)
Schweighofer, Dr. Fritz, 1960 (1 letter)
Science Illustrated, 1955 (1 letter): from Breuer
Scitorszky, Hanna, 1966 (1 letter)
Scott, Stuart N. (Dewey, Gallantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood), 1958 (1 letter)
Seagram-Distillers Corporation: see Kessler-Gallacher & Burton
Sears, Roebuck and Company (Arthur M. Wood), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer concerning luncheon for Alexander Calder
Segal, Georgette, 1954 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Seghers, Pierre, 1963 (1 letter)
Segner, Marvin H., and John C. R. O'Neill (consulting engineers), undated (1 letter)
Segre, Mr., 1959 (2 letters): from Breuer
Seidel, Bert (architect), 1955 (2 letters)
Seidler, Harry (architect, Black Mountain College), 1946-1978 (24 letters)
Sekey, Sue, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Selinger, Hans, 1956 (1 letter)
Selwood, Christopher, 1958-1959 (2 letters): see also Gardner-Medwin, R. J.
Selye, Hans, 1967 (1 invitation): to George Washington Awards Dinner in honor of Breuer, Selye, and Watson Kirkconnell
Semrad, Peter H., 1957 (1 letter)
Senix Aerial (Don Preuss), 1947 (1 letter)
Sert, José Luis (architect) and Moncha, 1945-1970 (7 letters): see National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Architects' Committee; Project File for UNESCO
Setzer, H. O. (Spartan Tire & Recapping Company), 1947 (3 letters)
Sevely, Marvin, 1951 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Seyton, Mrs., 1954 (1 letter)
Shackleton, Edwin, 1951 (1 letter)
Shand, James (Art and Technics, Ltd.), 1950 (1 letter)
Shankland, Graeme, 1939 (1 letter)
Shannon, Edgar Finley (University of Virginia), 1967 (1 invitation): to Founder's Day Exercises
Sharon Forest Service Company, Inc., 1950 (5 letters)
Shattuck, George, 1946 (1 letter): from Breuer
Shelton Roofing Company, Inc., 1956 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Vitrum magazine (Centro Informazioni e Studi per le Applicazioni del Vetro nell'Edilizia e nell'Arredamento; C.I.S.A.V.), 1955 (1 letter)
Vogel, George S. (Temple Israel, Cortlandt), 1951 (1 letter)
Voigt, James D. (Voigt and Fourré, Architects), 1958 (4 letters)
Volante, Julio C., 1955-1963 (2 letters)
von Debschitz, Irene, 1935 (1 letter)
von Erffa, H., 1951-1968 (2 letters)
von Meyerburg, Henrietta [?], undated (1 letter)
von Moltke, Wilhelm Viggo, 1946-1958 (4 letters)
von Segesser, Beat and Francisca, 1968-1975 (1 letter, plus 4 from Breuer)
Wachsmann, Konrad (architect/designer, General Panel Corporation), 1945-1965 (8 letters): see National Council of American Soviet Friendship, Inc., Architects' Committee
Wadsworth, Suzanne G., 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Wagner, Martin (Harvard University), 1946 (2 letters)
Senator Wagner Memorial Dinner, 1965 (1 invitation): from mayor of New York
Walker and Company, 1966-1967 (2 letters): includes a typescript about Breuer; see also Heyer, Paul O.
Walker Art Center, Center Arts Council, 1959-1962 (12 letters)
Walker, H. E. L. (Universal Moulded Products Company, Ltd.), 1943 (1 letter)
Walker, Ralph (AIA), 1951 (1 letter): from Walter Gropius
Walker, Vicki, 1968 (1 letter): from Breuer
Ward, Ernest and Priscilla (Sprague Electric Company), 1946 (2 letters)
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Watson, Arthur K. (U.S. Embassy, Paris), 1970-1972 (2 letters)
Watson, Thomas, 1970 (1 letter)
Wattjes, Professor J. G., 1935 (1 letter)
Webb & Knapp (Canada), Ltd., 1963 (3 letters)
Weidler, Charlotte (Bauhaus Ausstellung), 1968 (1 letter)
Weidlinger, Paul, 1946: see Project File for UNESCO
Weidlinger Associates, 1983-1984 (2 letters)
Weiner, Paul L., 1950-1966 (2 letters)
Weinstein, Jerry, 1945 (1 letter)
William H. Weintraub & Company, Inc., 1943-1947 (3 letters)
Weiz [?], Tiberio, 1939 (1 letter)
Weizenblatt, Sprinza, 1946-1963 (20 letters)
Wenzler, William P. (architect), 1965-1968 (4 letters)
Weren, Edward C., 1946 (1 letter)
Werner, Ingrid, 1963 (3 letters)
Wertz, Mr. (Der Finanzminister des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen), 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer
West China Development Corporation, 1947 (1 letter)
West Coast Stained Shingle Company, 1950 (1 letter): from Breuer
Westcott and Mapes, Inc. (architects and engineers), 1970 (1 letter)
Western Arts Association, 1959 (4 letters)
Western Reserve University, 1958 (5 letters)
Westport Public Library, 1975 (1 letter): from Breuer
Zahedi, H. E. Ardeshir (ambassador of Iran), 1974-1975 (4 letters): from Breuer
Zanuso, Marco (architect; Olivetti), 1957 (1 letter): from Breuer
Zechlin, Hans Josef, 1950 (1 letter)
Ziegler, Barbara, 1947 (1 letter)
Ziegler, Frank, 1974 (1 letter): from Breuer
Ziegler, Richard, undated (1 letter)
Zwick, Virgil J., 1959 (1 letter)
Collection Restrictions:
The microfilm for this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Marcel Breuer papers, 1920-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the microfilming of this collection was provided by the Gerta Charitable Trust. Funding for the digitization of the microfilm was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Costa, Lucio (architect), 1952-1953 (1 telegram, 1 letter): telegram from Breuer; 1953 letter dictated by Walter Gropius to Howard Robertson with lines for signatures of Costa, Gropius, Sven Markelius, and Ernesto Rogers
Dezell, Mr. (Building Management, UNESCO), 1956 (1 letter): from W. Mactaggart
d'Harnoncourt, René (Museum of Modern Art), 1957 (2 letters)
d'Hennezel, Mourer, 1953 (1 letter)
Duprat, Mr., 1961 (1 letter): from Bernard Zehrfuss
Edwards, David J. (Georgia Institute of Technology), 1952 (1 letter)
Ehrmann, Gilles, 1959 (1 telegram): from Breuer
Eken, Andrew J. (Starrett Brothers and Eken), 1952-1953 (2 letters)
Emslie, Murray Sims, 1958 (1 letter)
Evans, Luther H. (director general), 1955-1959 (6 letters)
Evarts, John, undated (1 calling card)
Foster, Richard, 1957 (1 letter)
Fry, Lynn W. (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), 1953 (1 letter)
Fulchignoni, Enrico (head of the film department), 1957 (1 letter): to Eugène Callison
Gatje, Robert Frederick, 1967 (1 letter)
Gazette de Lausanne, 1958 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Goodwin, Philip L. (architect), 1952-1953 (2 letters)
Goss, Dale (Seattle Public Schools), 1953 (1 letter)
Graber, Rudolf (Wohnbedarf furniture store), 1957 (1 letter): from Breuer, includes a photograph of interior of a cafeteria
Gropius, Walter and Ise, 1952-1961 (63 letters): 30 from Breuer
Grossi, Olindo (Pratt Institute), 1952 (1 letter)
Hansen, J. Dilling, 1960 (9 letters)
Harper-Smith, Mr., 1958 (1 letter): from Bernard Zehrfuss
Harvard University, 1952 (1 letter): from President Conant's office
Hauf, Harold D. (Edwards Street Laboratory), 1952 (1 letter)
Hervé, Lucien (photographer), 1957 (1 letter)
Hill, Henry, 1952 (1 letter)
Julius Hoffmann Verlag Stuttgart, 1955-1956 (4 letters)
Hopkins, Frank S. (UNESCO Relations Staff), 1957 (1 letter)
Hutchins, John Jay (Law Offices of S. G. Archibald), 1967-1975 (34 letters): 16 from Breuer
Institute of Contemporary Art, 1952-1953 (2 letters)
Jalles, Louis, 1967 (1 letter): to Bernard Zehrfuss)
Johnson, Philip C., 1952-1963 (4 letters)
Jours de France, 1958 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
König, Max (Wohnbedarf furniture store), 1956 (1 letter)
Large, R. A., 1952 (1 letter)
La Rochelle, J. Drieu (wrote a report on ventilation with Zehrfuss), 1949
Le Corbusier, 1952-1953 (8 letters): 2 to Walter Gropius; 2 to José Luis Sert
Le Génie Civil, 1958 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Leguen, Yves, 1958-1960 (3 letters)
Lewis, George Sherman (architect), 1952 (1 letter)
Loeb, G. M. (E. F. Hutton & Company), 1952-1953 (2 letters)
Lurie, H. Lee (Barron, Rice & Rockmore), 1952 (1 letter)
Mactaggart, W. (DAO, UNESCO), 1956 (1 letter)
Malecki, T., 1958 (1 letter)
Mandleur et Dolbeau, 1957 (1 letter)
Marcel, Pierre, 1957-1958 (58 letters): 24 from Breuer
Markelius, Sven, 1953 (1 letter): dictated by Walter Gropius to Howard Robertson with lines for signatures of Lucio Costa, Gropius, Markelius, and Ernesto Rogers)
McCray, Porter (Museum of Modern Art), 1957 (1 letter)
McFadden, William Parker, undated (1 note of address)
McMullough, Max, undated (1 calling card)
Mérédieu, Denise, 1957-1959 (29 letters): 11 from Breuer
Millquist, Jerome, 1955 (2 letters)
Mohrhardt, Charles M. (Detroit Public Library), 1953 (1 letter)
Montagnier, M. (head of the Office of Conferences and General Services), 1957-1961 (7 letters)
Nervi, Pier Luigi, 1952-1975 (82 letters): 32 from Breuer
New York Herald Tribune, 1952 (1 letter): from Breuer
Osmun, Edward (New York Port Authority), 1962 (1 letter): from Breuer
Perrault, Mr. , 1961 (1 letter): from Breuer
Pilzer, Leopold, 1952-1953 (2 letters)
Présentè, G. M., 1958 (1 letter): from Bernard Zehrfuss
Rawlings, Boynton M. (Law Offices of S. G. Archibald), 1967 (2 letters)
Ritchie, Raymond D. (Ritchie Construction Company, Inc.), 1952 (1 letter)
Robertson, Howard (Easton & Robertson, London), 1952-1953 (2 letters): 1 from Eero Saarinen; 1953 letter dictated by Walter Gropius to Robertson with lines for signatures of Lucio Costa, Gropius, Sven Markelius, and Ernesto Rogers
Rocourt, Evelyn, 1954 (1 letter): see Project File for UNESCO
Rogers, Ernesto N., 1953 (1 letter): dictated by Walter Gropius to Howard Robertson with lines for signatures of Lucio Costa, Gropius, Sven Markelius, and Rogers
Roux, Alina, 1959 (1 letter): from Breuer's office
Saarinen, Eero, 1952 (2 letters)
Sert, José Luis (International Congresses for Modern Architecture, CIAM), 1952-1953 (7 letters)
Smith, Hamilton, 1963 (1 letter)
Stillman, Rufus and Leslie, 1958 (1 letter)
Suter-Moser, Claude, 1955 (1 letter)
Sutnar, Ladislav, 1956 (1 letter)
George J. Switzer Company (Edmund Switzer), 1952 (1 letter)
Székely, Tamás István (Wohnbedarf furniture store), 1957 (1 letter)
Taylor, John W. (acting director general, UNESCO), 1953 (1 letter): from Walter Gropius
Thomas, Jean (assistant director general), 1958 (7 letters)
Thompson, Marion Gordon, 1953 (1 letter)
Urlik, J. P. (secretary, UNESCO), 1958 (2 letters)
Wermeil, Benjamin, 1952 (6 letters): 5 from Breuer; 1 from Le Corbusier
Wilkinson, J. R. (Stevens & Wilkinson), 1952 (1 letter)
Zehrfuss, Bernard and Simone, undated and 1949-1967 (229 letters): 92 from Breuer
Collection Restrictions:
The microfilm for this collection has been digitized and is available online via the Archives of American Art website.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Marcel Breuer papers, 1920-1986. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the microfilming of this collection was provided by the Gerta Charitable Trust. Funding for the digitization of the microfilm was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. Collection, Acc. 1992.0023, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
The collection is open for research. Use requires an appointment.
Collection 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.
Collection Citation:
Florence Knoll Bassett papers, 1932-2000. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Sponsor:
Funding for the digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
An interview of Isamu Noguchi conducted 1973 Nov. 7-Dec. 26, by Paul Cummings, for the Archives of American Art.
NOVEMBER 7, 1973 session: Noguchi discusses his family background; growing up in Japan; returning to the United States in 1917; his identity as an artist; Gutzon Borglum; Columbia University and studying pre-med; attending Leonardo da Vinci Art School; apprenticing to Onorio Ruotolo; quitting Columbia to become a sculptor; Guggenheim Fellowship in 1927; J.B. Neumann; Alfred Stieglitz; George Grey Barnard; James Earle Fraser; Brummer and the Brummer Gallery; studying at Chaumiere and Collarosi; working with Brancusi; meeting Sandy Calder in Paris; Stuart Davis; Morris Kantor; Andrée Ruellan; his work, "Sphere"; reacting against Brancusi; Eugene Schoen's; his Carnegie Hall studio; Michio Ito; Martha Graham; Buckminster Fuller; traveling in China and Japan; meeting Chi Pai Shi; John Becker; his works, "Play Mountain," "Monument to the Plow," "Monument to Ben Franklin," and "Orpheus" for Balanchine; designing for the stage; Audrey McMahon; Harry Hopkins; Holger Cahill; Mexico; Diego Rivera; Miguel Covarrubias; and the Artists Union.
DECEMBER 10, 1973 Session: His reaction to the Spanish Civil War- avoided direct involvement; Stuart Davis; Gorky; Andre Breton; David Hare; Marcel Duchamp; John Graham; Julien Levy; his artist friends dying at the peak of their success; Leger; Stirling Calder; associating himself with the laboring class; Buckminster Fuller; being American; expanding the possibilities of sculpture; his Associated Press Building project in Rockefeller Center, it being done in stainless steel instead of bronze; John Collier; Japanese-American Citizens League; organizing Nisei Artists and Writers Mobilization for Democracy; Jeanne Reynal; going to Poston, Ariz. to assist with American Indian Service camp under John Collier and becoming an internee there; returning to New York in 1942; Bollingen Foundation; trip around the world in 1949; and Philip Guston.
DECEMBER 18, 1973 session: Best work in studio; reaction against expressionism; artists protesting against the Establishment; his objection to the WPA, influenced by William Zorach; exhibiting in group show called, "Fourteen Americans at the Museum of Modern Art"; show at Egan Gallery in 1949; accepting art in its most aesthetically pure form without reference to social issues; movement in Japan since war to get away from refinement of Japan; Yoshiro Hiro responsible for Gutai and the happenings; his work, "Monument to Heroes," using bones; his work takes years to do; materials used in his work; his work, "Cronos"; doing theater stage sets for the Library of Congress including, "Appalachian Spring" and "Herodiade"; wants a given space which he can call his own and do something with it, has to be a work of art.
DECEMBER 26, 1973 Session: Show with Charles Egan in 1948 arranged by de Kooning; applying to the Bollingen Foundation to write a book on leisure, which was never written; traveling to Italy, Egypt, and India for two years; being removed from the New York scene with Franz Kline and de Kooning; his light objects; sculpture as environment; respect for material; Mondrian and his art deriving from nature; his time in Japan in 1931; visiting Japan in 1951; working in stone; projects in Japan; Taniguchi; Antonin Raymond; designing Japanese gardens; discovery of Zen; Hasegawa Saburo; Skidmore; Hans Knoll; Edison Price; Italy in the 1960s; Peter Gregory; Henry Moore; Louis Kahn; UNESCO; Noguchi Foundation and Plaza Company; Shoji; Eleanor Ward; and his autobiography, "A Sculptor's World."
Biographical / Historical:
Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988) was a Japanese American sculptor based in Long Island City, New York.
General:
Originally recorded on 4 sound tape reels. Reformatted in 2010 as 7 digital wav files. Duration is 6 hrs., 25 min.
Provenance:
These interviews are part of the Archives' Oral History Program, started in 1958 to document the history of the visual arts in the United States, primarily through interviews with artists, historians, dealers, critics and others.
Restrictions:
Transcript available on the Archives of American Art website.
