The Lena Gurr (1897-1992) papers date from 1908 to 1979 and measure 7.0 linear feet. Gurr was a painter and printmaker who studied under John sloan and Maurice Sterne at the Art Students League between 1920-1922. She also studied in France and married painter and photographer Joseph Biel in 1931. The papers document both Gurr and Biel's careers through correspondence, notes, art work, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs. The collection offers researchers a valuable resource for studying the New York art community of the pre-war era.
Scope and Content Note:
The Lena Gurr papers date from 1908 to 1979 and measure 7.0 linear feet. The collection presents a good overview of Gurr's career as a painter and printmaker, and her relationship with her husband, painter Joseph Biel. Through biographical material, correspondence, notes, an interview with Lena Gurr, original artwork by Gurr and others, scrapbooks, printed material, photographs of Gurr, family, and friends, and photographs of artwork by Gurr and others, the collection offers researchers a valuable resource for studying the New York art community of the pre-war era.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into eight series. Material within each series is arranged chronologically.
Series 1: Biographical Material, 1968, undated (box 1; 1 folder)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1921-1979, undated (boxes 1-4; 3.1 linear ft.)
Series 3: Notes, 1926-1972 (box 4; 4 folders)
Series 4: Interview, 1950 (box 4; 1 folder)
Series 5: Artwork, circa 1908-1951 (box 4; 36 folders)
Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1912-1948 (boxes 4-5, 8-11; 1.45 linear ft.)
Series 7: Printed Material, 1926-1978 (box 5; 21 folders)
Series 8: Photographs, 1912-1978 (boxes 5-7; 1.05 linear ft.)
Biographical Note:
Born October 27, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York, Lena Gurr was the daughter of Hyman and Ida (Gorodnick) Gurr. She attended the Maxwell Training School for Teachers from 1915 to 1917, then turned her energies toward art. She studied painting and printmaking at the Educational Alliance Art School in 1919, and at the Art Students League (1920-1922), where she was a student of John Sloan and Maurice Stern. She also studied art in Paris, Nice, and Mentone, France. Her first solo exhibition was in 1932 at the Brooklyn Museum.
On November 24, 1931, Gurr married painter and photographer Joseph Biel. He was born October 27, 1891 in Russia, studied at the Russian Academy in Paris, and at the Workman's College, Melbourne, Australia. He also established the first Jewish Library in Melbourne. Upon his arrival in the United States, he studied under George Grosz at the Art Students League. Biel died in April 1943 of a heart ailment.
Provenance:
The Lena Gurr papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Lena Gurr from 1966 to 1979.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Rights:
The Lena Gurr papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Correspondence in this series concerns general topics and art-related activities and is between Gurr, family members, galleries including the ACA Gallery, and colleagues including Mary Cecil Allen, Mary Ascher, Herman Baron, Dorothy Block, Jean De Marco, Emma Ehrenreich, Clare Fasano, Ralph Fabri, Juliana Force, Minna Harkavy, Rockwell Kent, Karl Knaths, Louis Lozowick, Ross and Dorothy Moffett, John von Wicht, and Lynd Ward.
See Appendix for list of notable correspondents in Series 2.
Appendix: Notable Correspondents in Series 2:
Below is a list of notable correspondents found in Series 2 which also provides dates of individual letters.
Adler, Samuel: see Photographs
Allen, Mary Cecil: 06 Oct, 1956, 29 Oct 1956, 31 Dec 1956, 24 Jan 1957, 30 Jan 1957, 26 Feb 1957, 05 Mar 1957, 05 Apr 1957, 23 Apr 1957, 10 May 1957, 21 Sep 1957, 01 Oct 1957, 14 Nov 1957, 13 Dec 1957, 08 Mar 1958, 26 Apr 1958, [1958], 27 Sep 1958, 02 Oct 1958, 12 Dec 1958, 15 Dec 1958, 19 Dec 1958, 30 Dec 1958, 19 Jan 1959, 25 Feb 1959, 21 Mar 1959, 15 Apr 1959, 25 Apr 1959, 04 May 1959, 25 May 1959, 10 Jul 1959, 07 Dec 1959, 11 Mar 1960, 27 Mar 1960, 22 May 1960, 27 May 1960, 04 Nov 1960, 18 Jan 1961, 17 Mar 1961, 26 May 1961, 18 Sep 1961, 17 Oct 1961, 07 Nov 1961, 31 Dec 1961, 19 Jan 1962, 08 Mar 1962, 16 Apr 1962, 14 Apr 1962; also see Photographs
Ascher, Mary: 05 Sep 1953, 29 Sep 1957, [1958], 02 Jul 1958, 27 Jul 1959, 13 Aug 1959, 15 Jan 1960, 20 Feb 1960, 26 Jul 1960, 19 May 1961, 01 Jun 1962, 22 May 1965, 27 Aug 1965, 08 Feb 1966, 19 Jun 1966, 09 Jul 1966, 03 Oct 1968, [May 1972], [Sep 1972], 13 Feb 1974, Aug 1975, Nov 1976
Avery: 22 Jan 1959
Baron, Herman (ACA Gallery): 17 Aug 1934 (letter to Joseph Biel), 22 Aug 1934 (letter to Joseph Biel), [1935], 02 Jul 1945, Jul 1949, [Jun 1950], 22 Jul 1950, Sep 1956, 08 Jul 1958; (2); also see 19 Mar 1934 letter in Biel/Gurr scrapbook; see Photographs
Biddle, George: 28 Feb 1949
Biel, Joseph: see Herman Baron; see Jerome Milkman
Bishop, Isabel: undated (6),12 Dec 1958, 05 May 1967, 11 Feb 1968
Block, Dorothy: 17 Jan 1949, 19 Feb 1949, 12 Mar 1949, 06 May 1949, 02 Sep 1949, 09 Jul 1950, 07 Nov 1950, Dec 1950, 14 Dec 1951, 20 Aug 1952, 04 Sep 1952, 26 Nov 1952, 20 Sep 1954, [1956], 21 Jun 1956, 07 May 1957, 21 Aug 1957, 28 Feb 1965, 08 Aug 1974, 07 Jan 1978, 11 Aug 1978, 05 Sep 1978
Botkin, Henry: see Photographs
Bouche, Louis: 04 Mar 1964 (form letter signed by Bouche)
Buell, Alice Standish: 12 Nov 1950
Burliuk, David and Marussia: 15 Mar 1947, 12 Dec 1947, 21 Jan 1959
Canaday, John: 29 Dec 1960
Carewe, Sylvia (Sylvia Carewe Small): undated (letter and exhibition announcement), 25 Jan 1945, 01 Jun 1947, 24 Jun 1949, [1951]
Cecere, Ada Rasario: 05 Jun [1950]
Citron, Minna: Oct 1951 exhibition announcement and catalog
Cotton, Lillian: see Photographs
Crawford, Lesley: 20 Nov 1952, 05 Jan 1961 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 5)
Crawford, Ralston: 05 Jul 1962
de Marco, Jean: see Clara Fasano
Ehrenreich, Emma: [1940], 14 Jun 1948, Dec 1950, Oct 1953, 06 Jun 1954, 31 May 1958, 20 Jul 1960, 14 Aug 1960, 25 Aug 1960, 28 Dec 1960, 24 Jun 1961 (2),Sep 1961, 10 Jul 1962, 31 Jul 1962, 01 Mar 1963, 08 Jul 1963, [Jun 1964], 04 Jul 1965, 25 Aug 1966, 14 Sep 1971, Aug 1972
Erlanger, Elizabeth: undated (4),[1940], 02 Mar 1949, Dec 1950, 15 Mar 1955, Mar 1957, 17 Apr 1957, 15 Jun 1957, 27 Jun 1957, 25 Jan 1959, 02 Sep 1960, Jan 1963, 05 Jan 1966
Fabri, Ralph: 28 Feb 1951, 01 Jan 1953, 01 Sep 1953, 10 Sep 1953, 20 Jun 1955, 19 Nov 1955, 10 Jul 1956, 15 Mar 1957, 14 Jul 1957, 24 Aug 1957, 12 Jun 1958, 29 Aug 1958, 25 May 1959, 07 Sep 1959, 23 Aug 1959, 23 Jul 1960, 10 Oct 1960, 01 Mar 1961 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 5), 06 Aug 1961, 23 Aug 1961, 16 Oct 1961, 23 Apr 1962, 17 Aug 1962, [1962], 26 Jun 1963 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 5), 19 Aug 1963, 02 Oct 1963, 24 Aug 1964, 25 Aug 1965, [Apr 1966], 03 Sep 1966, 03 Sep 1967, 31 Aug 1968, 26 Aug 1969, 20 Aug 1970, 23 Aug 1971, 31 Aug 1972, 04 Nov 1972
Fasano, Clara and Jean de Marco: 17 Aug 1936, 15 Nov 1943, 09 Jun 1949, 01 Jul 1950, 23 Aug 1950, 20 Aug 1951, 18 Jun 1952, 30 Aug 1952, 27 Aug 1954, 22 Jul 1958, 09 Sep 1958, 08 Jul 1959, [Oct 1968], 04 Nov 1968, 07 Dec 1968, 27 Dec 1968, 24 Mar 1969, 10 Jul 1969, 17 Oct 1969, 21 Feb 1970, 05 May 1970, 25 May 1970, 11 Jul 1970, 29 Jul 1970, 24 Oct 1970, 30 Jan 1971, 28 Apr 1971, 18 Aug 1971, 09 Oct 1971, 05 Nov 1971, 25 Dec 1971, 04 Jan 1972, 15 Jan 1972, 21 Jul 1973, 05 Nov 1973, 09 Dec 1973, 08 Feb 1974, 04 Mar 1974, 13 Oct 1976; also see Photographs
Fiene, Ernest: 12 Mar 1961
Floch, Joseph: undated (letter to Floch), 29 Dec 1977 (letter from Mimi Floch)
Force, Juliana: 13 Dec 1932, 19 Jan 1933, 16 Dec 1933, 29 Jan 1934, 08 Feb 1934, 04 Oct 1934, 11 Apr 1938, 26 Apr 1938, 20 Feb 1940, 08 Apr 1940, 09 May 1940, 21 Sep 1940, 15 Jun 1944 (letter to Force), 19 Mar 1947; also see 01 Jun 1934 letter in Biel/Gurr scrapbook
Freilich, Michael: 12 Aug 1947, 20 Aug 1950, 01 May 1951, 15 Aug 1951, 23 Jul 1952, 18 Aug 1953, 31 Jul 1954, 14 Aug 1955, 23 Jul 1956, 16 Jul 1957, 08 Jul 1958, 31 Aug 1960, 03 Sep 1964, 09 Sep 1965
Gelb, Jan: see Interview
Genauer, Emily: 28 Nov 1958, Dec 1958
Gerardia, Helen: undated (2),26 Aug 1950, 13 Dec 1950, 18 Aug 1952, 30 Jun 1952, 23 Jan 1953, 07 Mar 1953, 22 May 1955, 02 Feb 1959, 05 Jan 1961, 14 Oct 1966
Getz, Arthur: 09 Jun 1958; also see Margarita Gibbons
Gibbons, Margarita: undated (25),25 Oct 1949, [1950], [1958] (4),[1960] (4),[Jan 1964] (2),[Feb 1964], [Oct 1969]; also see Arthur Getz
Glickman, Maurice: see Florence Lewison
Glintenkamp, Hendrick: 1956 exhibition catalog (in Gurr scrapbook 4)
Gold, Leah: 09 Jul 1957
Goodrich, Lloyd: 13 Nov 1952
Gould, Janet: undated (card with a photograph of her home); 24 Feb 1945, 05 Dec 1952, 21 Jun 1953, 24 Feb 1965; also see letters from Maria Norman
Harkavy, Minna: undated, 14 Aug 1950, 02 Sep 1952, 02 Sep 1953, 18 Jul 1960, 13 Jul 1964, 23 Aug 1965, 02 Aug 1967; also see Photographs
Held, Louis: 07 Apr 1946, 25 Jan 1949, 14 Jun 1950, 02 Feb 1953, 26 Jun 1958, 16 Jun 1960, 08 Jun 1965, 08 Jul 1968, Nov 1969, 25 Dec 1971, Jan 1977, Oct 1977, 26 Dec 1977, Dec 1978
Hirsch, Joseph: 10 Sep 1975 (form letter signed by Hirsch)
Hirshhorn, Joseph: undated (2), 24 Sep 1945, 01 Jul 1950, 08 Sep 1954, 21 Feb 1963 (letter to Hirshhorn)
Jones, Joe: see Photographs
Kainen, Jacob: 24 Aug 1965 (letter to Kainen)
Kaplan, Joseph: see Photographs
Katz, Hilda: 30 Nov 1947, 15 Jan 1950, 02 Mar 1950, 31 May 1950, 24 Nov 1953
Kent, Rockwell: 19 Aug 1948, 10 Mar 1951, 11 Dec 1957 (letter containing photograph of Kent, Gurr, and Walter Thornton), 06 Jun 1968
Kish, Maurice: 09 May 1948, 12 Feb 1949, 13 Dec 1949, 03 Jan 1950 (letter to Kish), 27 Apr 1950, 02 May 1950, 17 May 1950, Jan 1951, 12 May 1951, 13 Mar 1952, 24 Nov 1953, 15 Aug 1955, 11 Jul 1957, 24 Jan 1960, Oct 1961, 29 Dec 1962
Klonis, Stewart: 18 Nov 1964
Knaths, Karl: 30 Oct 1967 (letter to Knaths), 28 Aug 1968 (letter to Knaths), 01 Sep 1968 (letter from Knaths in Gurr scrapbook 7), 23 Dec 1968 (letter to Knaths), 04 Jan 1970
Koenig, Martha Elizabeth: 09 Sep 1945, 23 Apr 1950 (obituary notice and photograph of Koenig from 1949); 01 Dec 1950 (letter from Koenig's husband)
Kroll, Leon: undated (5 undated letters to Kroll), 01 Dec 1958, 21 Dec 1958, 06 Dec 1959, 09 Dec 1960, 20 Jan 1961, 07 Dec 1961, 06 Mar 1962, 09 Dec 1962, 31 Mar 1964, 13 Jan 1965 (letter to Kroll), 13 Jul 1967 (letter to Kroll), 21 Jul 1967
Kruse, Alexander Z.: 10 Jun 1948, 18 Feb 1951, 11 Feb 1952, 16 Jun 1954 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 4); 28 Aug 1954
Lawrence, Jacob: undated (invitation from Charles Alan for a party in honor of Jacob Lawrence); 08 Nov 1963 (form letter signed by Lawrence); also see Photographs
Lorne, Naomi: 27 Apr 1946, May 1954, 13 Jul 1955, 28 Jul 1955, 01 Sep 1955, 19 Jun 1956, 09 Jul 1956, 08 Aug 1956, 11 Aug 1956, 16 Aug 1956, Mar 1957, 24 Jun 1957, 08 Aug 1957, 14 Aug 1957, 01 Aug 1960, 22 Aug 1960, Jun 1961
Lozowick, Louis and Adele: undated, [Jan 1949], 29 Jan 1955, 07 May 1961, 23 Nov 1963, 29 Mar 1965; also see 03 May 1933 letter in Biel/Gurr scrapbook; see Photographs
MacDowell Colony: 21 Feb 1963, 04 Mar 1963, Jan 1968
Mackendrick, Lilian: undated, [1940], 10 Jan 1950, 07 Apr 1955, 26 Jun 1956, 01 Apr 1958
Marantz, Irving: see Photographs
Maril, Herman: 05 Feb 1963, 27 Oct 1967, 26 Aug 1978
Mayer, Ralph and Bena: undated, 12 Apr 1950, 12 Sep 1951, Aug 1953, 01 Aug 1958, 09 Feb 1965, 01 Aug 1965, 05 Apr 1966, 05 Nov 1973
Mayor, A. Hyatt: 15 Dec 1962
Milkman, Jerome: 03 Jan 1940, 08 Jan 1940 (letter to Milkman from Joseph Biel), 01 Jan 1945
Minnigerode, C. Powell: 03 Nov 1928 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 1)
Moffett, Ross and Dorothy: undated, 27 Oct 1956, 31 Dec 1956, Jan 1959, 17 Dec 1960, 23 Apr 1961, 19 Oct 1961, 14 Apr 1962, 13 Mar 1963, 22 Jan 1964, 02 May 1964, 04 Jan 1966, 10 Apr 1966, 25 Sep 1966, 06 Oct 1966, 15 Nov 1966, 31 Jan 1967, 03 Feb 1968, 01 Oct 1969, 07 Apr 1970, 09 Dec 1973 (letter to Dorothy)
Newman, Elias: 14 Dec 1948 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 3); 28 May 1952 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 4); 16 Oct 1953, 10 May 1971
Norman, Maria: undated (3),11 Jan 1945, 27 Jan 1945, [1945] (2),[1948], 24 Feb 1945, 14 Apr 1945, 07 Oct 1945, 02 Dec 1947, 04 Feb 1948, 03 Apr 1948, 03 Jan 1949, 18 Dec 1949, 20 Dec 1949, Jan 1950, 18 Jan 1950, 12 Feb 1951, [1951], 16 Mar 1951, 28 Jun 1951, 06 Jul 1951, 31 Jul 1951, 03 Aug 1951, 07 Aug 1951 (letter to Norman from Hallmark Cards), 24 Aug 1951 (letter to Norman from Hallmark Cards), 30 Aug 1951, 10 Sep 1951, 24 Oct 1951, Dec 1951, 02 Jan 1952, 15 Jan 1952, 17 Feb 1952, 19 Feb 1952, 12 Mar 1952, 24 Mar 1952, 08 Jun 1952, 23 Aug 1952, 01 Oct 1952, 03 Sep 1952, 14 Sep 1952, 20 Nov 1952, 20 Dec 1952, Jan 1953, 06 Mar 1953, 02 Apr 1953, 16 Apr 1953, 29 May 1953, 17 Jun 1953, 25 Jun 1953, 17 Aug 1953, 02 Oct 1953, 18 Oct 1953, 25 Dec 1953, 03 Jan 1954, 16 May 1954, 10 Jul 1954, 10 Aug 1954, 20 Aug 1954, 13 Sep 1954, 24 Sep 1954, 06 Oct 1954, 02 Nov 1954, 24 Dec 1954, 25 Dec 1954, Jan 1955, 23 Jan 1955, 27 Jan 1955, 27 Feb 1955 (2),15 Mar 1955, 30 Mar 1955, 18 Apr 1955, 26 Apr 1955, 08 May 1955, 14 May 1955 (2),16 May 1955, 28 May 1955, 07 Jun 1955, 12 Jun 1955, 24 Jun 1955, 17 Jul 1955, 27 Sep 1955, Dec 1955, 04 Jan 1956, 26 Jan 1956, 12 Mar 1956, 12 Apr 1956 [in German], 18 Apr 1956, 04 Jun 1956, 11 Jun 1956, 27 Jun 1956, [1956], 26 Jul 1956, 29 Aug 1956, 18 Sep 1956, 21 Sep 1956, 06 Nov 1956, 25 Nov 1956, 28 Nov 1956, 09 Jan 1957, 01 Apr 1957, 10 Apr 1957, 27 Apr 1957, 07 May 1957, 18 May 1957, 22 May 1957, 27 Jun 1957, 18 Jul 1957, 28 Jul 1957, 17 Aug 1957, 16 Sep 1957, 05 Oct 1957, 28 Oct 1957, 14 May 1958, 03 Jun 1958, 14 Jul 1958, 30 Jul 1958, 01 Jan 1959, 17 Mar 1959, 22 Apr 1959, 29 Nov 1959, 18 Jan 1960, 24 Mar 1960?, 25 Dec 1960 (with photograph), 09 Jan 1961, 08 Aug 1961 Nov 1961, 16 Nov 1961, 24 Nov 1961, Dec 1961, 08 Feb 1962, 04 Apr 1962 (with 2 photographs), 12 Jul 1962 (2),01 Aug 1962, 03 Mar 1963, 02 Oct 1963, 28 Oct 1963, 14 Dec 1963 (2),31 Jan 1964, 30 Jan 1965, 24 Jun 1965, 15 Nov 1965, [1966], 29 Nov 1966, 02 May 1968, 26 Dec 1968, 02 Jan 1969, Dec 1970, 15 Dec 1971; also see Photographs
Ostrowsky, Abbo: see Art Work
Pach, Walter: 26 Nov 1950
Saint-Gaudens, Homer: undated (letter to Saint-Gaudens); 12 Sep 1931 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 1); 10 Jun 1948
Scaravaglione, Concetta: undated (2), 24 Aug 1970
Schapiro, Meyer: 04 Feb 1963, 26 Dec 1963 (letter to Schapiro)
Scharff, Constance: [1940] (2), Dec 1950, 17 Oct 1953, Dec 1955 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 4); 15 Mar 1977 (exhibition announcement)
Seckar, Alvena: 29 Mar 1946, [May 1946], 02 Aug 1946 (including a transcript of radio interview with Gurr), 07 Mar 1948, 21 May 1949 exhibition announcement, [Jan 1952] (3),05 Jan 1952, 05 Apr 1952, 18 Oct 1953, 21 May 1954
Small, Sylvia Carewe: see Sylvia Carewe
Soyer, Moses: undated, 04 May 1966 (letter to Soyer), 13 Oct 1974 (invitation to memorial service)
Soyer, Raphael: [May 1949] (form letter in Gurr scrapbook 3)
Steichen, Kate: 20 Apr 1949
Toney, Adele: undated (2)
Tromka, Ann and Abram: 04 Jun 1948, Jan 1949, 06 May [1954], 31 Jul 1954, 30 Aug 1954, 22 Sep 1954, 12 Oct 1954, 16 Oct 1954, 23 Oct 1954, 29 Oct 1954 (with Abram Tromka's 22 June 1954 obituary), 13 Jun 1957
von Wicht, John: undated (4),03 Feb 1951, 28 Sep 1951, 09 Jul 1952, 25 Jul 1952, 09 Oct 1953, 13 Feb [1956], 09 Apr 1956, 07 Sep 1956 (illustrated letter), 17 Jan 1958, 27 Jan 1958 (illustrated letter), 15 Feb 1958, 28 Sep 1959, Dec 1968
Walker, Hudson: [Sep 1965], 25 Jan 1967, 07 Aug 1968, Dec 1976 (thanks for sympathy card)
Ward, Lynd: 08 Feb 1957 (letter in Gurr scrapbook 4); 12 Apr 1965, 06 Nov 1972 (2 letters in Gurr scrapbook 8)
Wilson, Solomon: 07 Oct 1956; also see Photographs
Woljeska, Helen: 04 Jan 1945, 15 Jan 1945, 26 Sep 1945
Young, Gladys G.: 18 Jun 1945
Zorn, Clara: Dec 1950
Collection Restrictions:
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
Collection Rights:
The Lena Gurr papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.
Collection Citation:
Lena Gurr papers, 1908-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
