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Thomas (Robert) papers
UArch FacP 75  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access Restrictions
  • Use Restrictions
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Biographical Note
  • Scope and Content

  • Title: Robert Thomas papers
    Identifier/Call Number: UArch FacP 75
    Language of Material: English.
    Contributing Institution: UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
    Physical Description: 5.5 Linear Feet (2 cartons, 2 flat boxes)
    Creator: Thomas, Robert, 1924-1987
    Date (inclusive): 1958-1985
    Abstract: The collection consists of four boxes containing sketchbooks filled with drawings and sketches by UCSB Art Studio professor, Robert Thomas (1924-1987).
    Physical Location: Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library

    Access Restrictions

    The collection is open for research.

    Use Restrictions

    Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Research Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Research Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of Item], Robert Thomas papers, UArch FacP 75. Department of Special Research Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

    Acquisition Information

    Gift of Robin and Liz Thomas, 2021.

    Biographical Note

    Robert Thomas was born on April 19, 1924, in Wichita, Kansas, and died on October 16, 1987, in Santa Barbara, California. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force from 1943 to 1946, he studied sculpture in Paris with Ossip Zadkine. He then went on to receive his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1951, and an M.F.A. from the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland in 1952. In 1954 he started his teaching career as an instructor in art at UCSB.
    He was primarily known for female figure sculpture, but he was also skilled in drawing and painting. Although an intensely private person, he was an unselfish teacher. For the students who sensed the promise of a life in studio art practice, Robert Thomas was a dedicated teacher and a loyal friend. During his thirty-six years of active teaching, he helped a significant number of students acquire the courage as well as the skill to contemplate careers as sculptors.

    Scope and Content

    Papers of Robert Thomas (1924-1987), professor of Studio Art at UCSB (1954-), including 65 sketchbooks with drawings and sketches in watercolor, pencil and charcoal. The subjects in these sketchbooks include the human body and face, animals, as well as other various shapes and objects. The sketchbooks are untitled. They are organized by date.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Sketchbooks
    Sketches
    Thomas, Robert, 1924-1987 -- Archives
    University of California, Santa Barbara. Faculty