Container List
Series I.
Ladislav Sutnar papers related to designs and exhibitions (Accession no. 910005),
1927-1971, undated
Physical Description:
14.0 linear feet
(10 boxes, 1 flat file folder)
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this series through the
catalog record for this acquisition. Click here for the
access policy .
Scope and Content Note
Documentation of Ladislav Sutnar's career as an exhibition designer comprises the bulk of this series, one of the five separate
archives of Sutnar-related material held by the GRI. Photographs record Sutnar's exhibition work in Czechoslovakia in the
1920s and 1930s, from his early painted ceiling design for the 1927 Leipzig book fair to his concept for the nation's display
at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Sutnar's later exhibition designs in the United States, which focused on displays of his
own work, are more thoroughly documented. For his 1961-1968 traveling exhibition,
Visual Design in Action, design sketches and drawings, correspondence, and printed ephemera supplement the photographs.
Sutnar's product design work in the areas of tableware and toy design is represented here by a small sample of material. Sutnar's
early toy production in Czechoslovakia in the 1920s is recorded in photographs, while drawings and printed matter document
his household designs for Krásná jizba in the 1930s. Also found here is evidence of Sutnar's unsuccessful attempts to create
a product design career in the United States in the years after his arrival: promotional prints for a childrens' building
block set and a design drawing for a set of glass tumblers for Georg Jensen, Inc.
Graphic design, ranging from Sutnar's early work in Czechoslovakia for Družstevní práce and Krásná jizba to his American industrial
catalog work for Sweet's to his independent informational graphic work, is also represented in the series. Of particular interest
are two unrealized projects for children: a picture book on shape and a poster series promoting good habits. Although late,
and perhaps not the peak of Sutnar's design skills, these projects are important because the related working materials preserved
in the archive give an idea of Sutnar's process, merging the creation of the design with the manufacture and marketing of
the product.
A small selection of Sutnar's correspondence from 1958-1971 completes this series. The bulk of this correspondence is with
Eckhard Neumann regarding his attempt to stage an exhibition of Sutnar's work in Germany, but exchanges with Bauhaus exiles
with whom Sutnar reconnected in the United States, such as Joseph Albers and Marcel Breuer, are also included.
Arrangement
Arranged by topic into two broad categories: design projects and correspondence. Design projects are further divided into
graphic design, product design and exhibition design. Although almost all Sutnar projects involved some elements of graphic
design, the projects categorized here as graphic design are almost solely that. Elements of graphic design as part of a larger
product or exhibition design are included in those categories.
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 1991.
Preferred Citation
Ladislav Sutnar papers related to designs and exhibitions, 1927-1971, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession
no. 910005.
Design projects,
1927-1971, undated
Graphic design,
1931-1971
Scope and Content Note
For graphic design of printed ephemera related to Sutnar's product and exhibition designs, see relevant sections below.
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 1-4
Designs for Družstevní práce and Krásná jizba,
1931-1939, undated
Scope and Content Note
Examples of Sutnar's graphic designs including brochures illustrating his book designs, marketing materials for Krásná jizba
products, and typography.
Industrial catalogs and trade publications,
1944-1950, undated
Scope and Content Note
Primarily color brochures and leaflets; includes materials designed by Sutnar in his role as art director for Sweet's Catalog
Service, as well as those designed through his independent firm.
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 5
American Optical Company, "Absorptive Efficiency of AO Calobar Glass,"
1945
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 6
Andersen Corporation, "Wood Window Units (15/13),"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 19
Aurele M. Gatti Incorporated, "Sapphire Products (4b),"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 20
Canterbury Printing Company,
Transport: Next Half Century, 1951-2000,
1950
Scope and Content Note
Foreword by R. Buckminster Fuller; "prepared and visually designed" by Ladislav Sutnar; created as part of a direct mail campaign.
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 7
Carlyle Johnson Machine Company, "Maxitorq Floating Disc Clutch,"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 8
Craftint Manufacturing Company, "Craftint Doubletone Drawing Paper and Tracing Vellum (6a/4),"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 9
Cuno Engineering Corporation, "Cuno Continuously Cleanable Filters (2h/8),"
circa 1944
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 10
Foxboro Company, "Industrial Instrumentation,"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 11
General Electric Company, "Electrical Equipment for Buildings,"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 12
Harco Steel Construction Company, "Glide Open Doors (4c/6),"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 13
Keuffel & Esser Company, "Wyteface Steel Tapes,"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 14
Monsanto Chemical Company, "Monsanto Plastics (1B/7),"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 15
New Jersey Zinc Company, "Design for Die Casting (1a/27),"
1945
Radio Corporation of America,
1944, undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 16
"Sound Systems (28/1),"
1944
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 17
"Radio Frequency Heating (4d/1),"
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 18
Traffic & Street Sign Company,"Tubular Masts for: Radar -- FM -- Television (3c/11),"
undated
Children's publications and posters,
1969-1971
"The World of Shape,"
1969
Scope and Content Note
Unpublished children's book, with Leonard Kessler.
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 21-22
Text, notes, correspondence, research
Box 910005.bx7*, Folder 8
Sketches
Scope and Content Note
Includes title page, "Shapes that grow in nature" and "Even shadows are shapes."
Box 910005.bx6, Folder 1-8
Poster series reinforcing good habits,
1970-1971
Scope and Content Note
Set of children's posters addressing hygiene, diet, safety and physical fitness; includes preliminary drawings, drafts of
poster text and advertising copy, and mock-ups, as well as research on sourcing, vendors and pricing.
Miscellaneous,
1944-1969, undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 23
General,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes promotional leaflets for Golden Griffin Books and the Seven Arts Society, mailing label for the Printex Corporation,
letterhead for Stephan Lion, and forms and cards for the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America, Inc.
Box 910005.bx5, Folder 2-6
Oversize,
1944-1969, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes informational graphics for newspaper and magazine articles, as well as advertising images.
Product design,
1927-1943, undated
Tableware,
1931-1940, undated
Design drawings,
1931-1940, undated
Flatfile 910005.FF1**
Glass tea set,
1931
Scope and Content Note
Print of drawings.
Box 910005.bx8*, Folder 1-2
Candlesticks,
circa 1939
Scope and Content Note
Includes pricing information.
Box 910005.bx8*, Folder 3
Glass tumblers,
circa 1940
Box 910005.bx8*, Folder 4
Flatware,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Prints of manufacturing drawings.
Box 910005.bx5, Folder 1
Printed matter with images of tableware designs,
undated
Box 910005.bx10, Folder 2
Photographic negative,
undated
Building block sets,
1927-1943
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 24
"Factory Town," photograph of prototype,
1927
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 25
"Build the Town," prints for promotion kit,
circa 1941-1943
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 26
Photographs of various toys and puppet,
undated
Exhibition design,
1927-1968, undated
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 1
Internationale Buchkunst Ausstellung, Leipzig,
1927
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 2
3rd International Book Fair, Florence,
1928
Contemporary Culture Exposition, "Modern Publicity," Brno,
1929
Box 910005.bx9*, Folder 1
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 4
Exposition de l'art appliqué et de l'architecture tchécoslovaque, Geneva,
1930
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 5
Exposition de l'art appliqué et de l'architecture tchécoslovaque, Bucarest,
1930
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 27
Exposition de l'art appliqué tchécoslovaque, Strassburg,
1931
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 6
Tjeckoslovakisk konst och nyttokonst, Stockholm,
1931
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 7
Tjeckoslovakisk konst och nyttokonst, Malmö,
1931
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 8
Triennale di Milano, Milan,
1936
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 9
Gas - Water - Sanitation Exhibition, Prague,
1937
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 10
Exposition internationale, l'art et la technique dans la vie moderne, Paris,
1937
Box 910005.bx1, Folder 11
International Aviation Exhibition, Belgrade,
1938
Box 910005.bx9*, Folder 2
New York World's Fair,
1939
Box 910005.bx7*, Folder 7
Educational exhibit at the Pratt Institute, New York,
circa 1946-1949
Scope and Content Note
While teaching graphic design at the Pratt Institute, Sutnar mounted an educational exhibition of his work.
Box 910005.bx2, Folder 1
Ladislav Sutnar - Design, New York, AD Gallery,
1947
Visual Design in Action, traveling exhibit,
1961-1968
Box 910005.bx7*, Folder 1-5
Design sketches and drawings
Box 910005.bx9*, Folder 4-5
Wall text drafts and color proofs
Box 910005.bx7*, Folder 6
Poster for New York venue
Photographic documentation
Box 910005.bx2, Folder 2
Small black-and-white prints
Box 910005.bx9*, Folder 3
Enlarged black-and-white prints
Box 910005.bx10, Folder 1
Color prints and negatives
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 28
Printed matter and correspondence regarding the exhibit
Box 910005.bx2, Folder 3
Photographs of unidentified exhibitions,
undated
Box 910005.bx3, Folder 29
Exhibition notebook,
1938
Scope and Content Note
Extensive notes and sketches relating to exhibitions in Rome, primarily the
Mostra Augustea della Romanità, but also the
Mostra dell'Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro.
Correspondence,
1958-1971, undated
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 9
Addo-x,
1958
Scope and Content Note
For related designs, see Series III, 2002.M.3.bx1, folder 1.
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 2
Breuer, Marcel,
1964-1965
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 3
Gerstner, Karl,
1958
Scope and Content Note
Includes publication announcement for
Die neue Graphik.
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 4
de Majo, W.M.,
1964
Scope and Content Note
Includes printed matter relating to the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (ICOGRADA).
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 5
Neumann, Eckhard,
1963-1966
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 6
Ohchi, Hiroshi,
1960-1961
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 7
Vlavianos, Basil,
undated
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 8
Wescher, Herta,
1964-1965
Box 910005.bx4, Folder 9
Unidentified,
1971, undated
Series II.
Ladislav Sutnar papers (Accession no. 2013.M.6),
1897-1976
Physical Description:
27.5 linear feet
(19 boxes)
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this series through the
catalog record for this acquisition. Click here for the
access policy .
Scope and Content Note
A broad range of professional and personal papers comprise this series, one of the five separate archives of Sutnar-related
material held by the GRI. All areas of Sutnar's design projects are represented here, as well as his paintings and artwork.
Beyond these creative works, a small quantity of miscellaneous professional papers and personal papers, such as visa applications
and obituaries, helps elucidate Sutnar's career. The design projects in this series include elements from the three main areas
of Sutnar's production: graphic design, product design and exhibition design. Of particular interest among the design projects
are the early 1940s prototypes for the "Build the Town" childrens' block set and the extensive documentation of the Czechoslovakian
pavilion at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The bulk of this acquisition relates to the painting and artwork to which Sutnar
returned later in his life. Beginning in the early 1960s, as his design commissions faded, Sutnar focused on the creation
of female nudes, executed in a roughly pop art style, which he called "joy-art." In addition to prints from his portfolio
Strip Street, the archive includes numerous sketches, preliminary studies and small paintings for the geometrically constructed
nudes of his
Venus series.
Arrangement
Arranged by topic into four broad categories: design projects, painting and art work, professional papers and personal papers.
Design projects are further divided into graphic design, product design and exhibition design. Although almost all Sutnar
projects involved some elements of graphic design, the projects categorized here as graphic design are almost solely that.
Elements of graphic design as part of a larger product or exhibition design are included in those categories.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Radoslav L. Sutnar and Ctislav Sutnar. Acquired in 2006 and 2010.
Preferred Citation
Ladislav Sutnar papers, 1897-1976, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2013.M.6.
Design projects,
1930-1976, undated
Graphic design,
1930-1976, undated
Book design,
1930-1961, undated
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 1
Photographs of Czech books,
1930-1933
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 4
"Controlled Visual Flow,"
1943
Scope and Content Note
Issued as
Design and Paper, no. 13, as a promotional publication for a paper company, Marquardt & Company.
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 2
Visual Design in Action dust jacket,
1961
Scope and Content Note
Found used as wrapping material for correspondence.
Box 2013.M.6.bx8*, Folder 2
"Minimum House" graphic,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Later reworking with text in English of cover of 1931 book,
Nejmenší dům.
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 3
Letterhead for Sutnar Office,
1968-1976
Product design for "Build the Town,"
circa 1941-1943
Scope and Content Note
Restricted access, pending conservation.
Exhibition design,
1939-1976
New York World's Fair,
1939-1941
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 5
Identification card,
1939-1940
Correspondence,
1939-1941
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 6-7
Box 2013.M.6.bx8*, Folder 3
Oversize clipping included with letters
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 1
Pamphlet for the Czechoslovak Pavilion,
1939-1940
Scope and Content Note
Includes pamphlet and drafts of text.
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 2-3
Photographs,
1939-1940
Scope and Content Note
Photographs of the Czechoslovak pavilion and restaurant, displays and dignitaries.
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 4
Logistics
Scope and Content Note
Includes materials relating to the menu, sourcing and pricing of food and liquor supplies, operational expenses, staffing,
budget.
Box 2013.M.6.bx8*, Folder 4
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 8
Ladislav Sutnar - Design, New York, AD Gallery,
1947
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 9
Visual Design in Action, traveling exhibit,
1961-1968
Box 2013.M.6.bx16, Folder 10
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 5-6
Redisplay of
Ladislav Sutnar and the New Typography,
1975-1976
Scope and Content Note
Materials relating to unrealized project to restage Sutnar's 1934 exhibition
Ladislav Sutnar and the New Typography, for which the display panels had recently been discovered in the Museum of Decorative
Arts (Umelecko-Prumyslove Museum) in Prague. Materials include documentation, Sutnar's CV and correspondence with museum officials
in Prague and potential exhibit sites, as well as Eckhard Neumann.
Painting and art work,
1962-1972, undated
The Strip Street,
1962-1963
Box 2013.M.6.bx1*
Signed Version A
Scope and Content Note
Portfolio signed and numbered, 12 of 25; all prints signed and numbered. Restricted access; requires special handling.
Box 2013.M.6.bx2*, Folder 1-1A
Box 2013.M.6.bx2*, Folder 2-2A
Box 2013.M.6.bx3*, Folder 1-4
Partial portfolios and individual prints
Box 2013.M.6.bx4*, Folder 1-4
Drafts, proofs and copies of text layout
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 14
Distribution
Scope and Content Note
Includes distribution lists, title labels, cover letters to accompany distributed portfolios and thank-you letters.
Venus project,
1966-1972, undated
Gouache paintings on 16 x 20 inch board,
1971-1972, undated
Scope and Content Note
Paintings are 9 x 4.5 inches, oriented either vertically or horizontally.
Box 2013.M.6.bx5*
Matted,
1971-1972, undated
Scope and Content Note
Some paintings signed, dated and titled on the mat. Titles include Venus/part of a triptych, Venus/and the [illegible] moon,
Venus/regal and Venus/fiesta.
Box 2013.M.6.bx6*-bx7*
Not matted,
1971, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes occasional date and title on board, as well as other notes. Titles include Venus/up through the roof, Venus/regal,
and Venus/anything goes.
Box 2013.M.6.bx11
Gouache paintings on 10 x 15 inch board,
1966-1969, undated
Scope and Content Note
Paintings are generally 8.75 x 5.25 inches, oriented either vertically or horizontally. Most paintings are matted, with some
signed and dated on the mat. A few paintings have titles either on the mat or on the back of the board. Titles include Venus/in
boots, Venus/of the red sea, and Venus/ in a "petit boutique."
Preliminary studies,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Materials and techniques include gouaches, pencil sketches, measured drawings and color studies, as well as images of models
cut from magazines.
Box 2013.M.6.bx8*, Folder 1
Professional papers and correspondence,
1975-1976, undated
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 7
Who's Who in Graphic Art entry,
1976
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 8
Caricature of Sutnar by Augustin Tschinkel,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Damaged photocopy.
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 9
"Fenomén 1930,"
1975
Scope and Content Note
Photocopies of translation of a section of an article referring to Sutnar.
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 10
Art Director's Club,
1975-1976
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 11-12
Contact and address lists,
undated
Box 2013.M.6.bx17, Folder 13
Personal papers,
1897-1976
Box 2013.M.6.bx18, Folder 1-4
Visa application,
1939-1941
Box 2013.M.6.bx18, Folder 5
Selective Service registration,
1942
Box 2013.M.6.bx18, Folder 6
Correspondence,
1939-1942
Scope and Content Note
Letters received from and copies of letters sent to his family in Prague, or correspondence with others regarding the welfare
of his wife and children.
Box 2013.M.6.bx18, Folder 7
Official documents,
1897-1954
Scope and Content Note
Includes copy of Sutnar's birth certificate and his wife's immigration documentation.
Box 2013.M.6.bx18, Folder 8
Materials related to Františka Sutnar,
1967-1968
Scope and Content Note
Includes address book, letters received, documents and materials relating to her death.
Materials related to the death of Ladislav Sutnar,
1976
Scope and Content Note
Includes death notice and list of recipients, obituaries and condolence letters to the family.
Box 2013.M.6.bx18, Folder 7
Box 2013.M.6.bx8*, Folder 5
Series III.
Ladislav Sutnar printed ephemera and miscellaneous publications (Accession no. 2002.M.3),
1942-1976
Physical Description:
0.4 linear feet
(1 box)
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this series through the
catalog record for this acquisition. Click here for the
access policy .
Scope and Content Note
Examples of Ladislav Sutnar's graphic design work in the United States form this series, one of the five separate archives
of Sutnar-related material held by the GRI. The bulk of the material consists of work for commercial clients from the 1940s
and 1950s in the form of industrial catalogs, advertising and corporate identity work. However, this series also includes
a number of specialized small publications such as
Transport and
Design and Paper. Paper and printing companies produced these booklets as promotional materials to showcase their products and services and
distributed them to printers, art directors and others in the industry.
Other graphic designs in this series were created in conjunction with Sutnar's product design and exhibition design ventures.
These include prints for the marketing of his unrealized children's building block set, "Build the Town," as well as the Sutnar-designed
invitation to the 1969 exhibition of his paintings,
Joy-Art.
Arrangement
Arranged by topic into two broad categories: design projects, and miscellaneous designs and publications. Design projects
are further divided into graphic design, product design and exhibition design. Although almost all Sutnar projects involved
some elements of graphic design, the projects categorized here as graphic design are almost solely that. Elements of graphic
design as part of a larger product or exhibition design are included in those categories.
Acquisition Information
Gift from the Collection of Radoslav L. & Elaine F. Sutnar. Acquired in 2002.
Preferred Citation
Ladislav Sutnar printed ephemera and miscellaneous publications, 1942-1976, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession
no. 2002.M.3.
Design projects,
1942-1969, undated
Graphic design for commercial clients,
1942-1964, undated
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 1
Addo-x,
1958, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes color brochures, as well as a signature related to Sutnar's Addo-x work from his book
Visual Design in Action. Also included is a photograph, with explanatory text attached, of Sutnar's design for the Addo-x showroom in Mexico City
(for related correspondence, see Series I, box 910005.bx4, folder 9).
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 2
Canterbury Printing Company,
Transport: Next Half Century, 1951-2000,
1950
Scope and Content Note
Foreword by R. Buckminster Fuller; "prepared and visually designed" by Ladislav Sutnar; created as part of a direct mail campaign.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 3
Carr's Department Stores,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Signature related to Sutnar's work for Carr's from his book
Visual Design in Action.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 4
Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences in America,
1964
Scope and Content Note
Cover design for publication of
Tři Noci by Egon Hostovský.
Marquardt & Company,
1943-1945
Box 2001.M.3.bx1, Folder 5
"Controlled Visual Flow,"
1943
Scope and Content Note
Issued as
Design and Paper, no. 13, as a promotional publication.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 6
"Shape, Line and Color,"
1945
Scope and Content Note
Issued as
Design and Paper, no. 19, as a promotional publication.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 1
River Ledge garden apartments brochure,
undated
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 18
Sutnar & Hall and Sutnar Office, letterhead,
undated
Sweet's Catalog Service,
1942-1960, undated
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 8
"Why, What, How: Essential Product Information,"
1942
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 9
"Designing Information,"
1947
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 10
"Checklist for Development of Catalog Design,"
circa 1950
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 11
"Marketing Efficiency through Improved Catalog Procedure,"
circa 1958
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 12
"Questionnaires and Checklists for Use in Developing Catalog Systems,"
undated
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 13
"Catalog Design Guide for Clients of Sweet's Catalog Service,"
undated
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 14
Publication advertising,
1954
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 15
Various Sweet's printed ephemera,
1943-1960, undated
Scope and Content Note
Includes brochures and leaflets, advertisements, forms and guides, as well as examples of Sweet's stationery.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 19
Theatre Arts magazine,
1960 July
Scope and Content Note
Cover design by Sutnar.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 16
Vera,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Printed marketing materials and signature related to Sutnar's work on Vera scarves from his book
Visual Design in Action.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 17
West Virginia Pulp and Paper, "Ladislav Sutnar: Thoughts on Package Design,"
after 1960
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 20
Product design for "Build the Town" block set,
circa 1941-1943
Scope and Content Note
Prints for promotion kit and postcard from Canadian Centre for Architecture depicting one of the prints.
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 21
Exhibition design for
Joy-Art,
1969
Scope and Content Note
Opening reception invitations.
Miscellaneous designs and publications,
1956-1976
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 22
New Years card designs,
1959-1976
Box 2002.M.3.bx1, Folder 23
"Commercial Symbols in Architecture,"
1956
Scope and Content Note
Offprint of article by Sutnar in
Architectural Record.
Series IV.
Ladislav Sutnar design-related archival materials (Accession no. 2013.M.7),
1942-1961, undated
Physical Description:
2.5 linear feet
(2 boxes)
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this series through the
catalog record for this acquisition. Click here for the
access policy .
Scope and Content Note
Examples of Ladislav Sutnar's graphic design work in the United States form this series, one of the five separate archives
of Sutnar-related material held by the GRI. Graphic design for commercial clients in the 1940s and 1950s, either through Sweet's
or Sutnar's independent firm, comprises the bulk of the material, primarily in the form of industrial catalogs, but also including
promotional brochures, advertisements, posters and corporate identity work. Other graphic designs in this series were created
in conjunction with Sutnar's product design or exhibition design ventures: prints for the marketing of his unrealized children's
building block set, "Build the Town," and material related to the
Visual Design in Action exhibition.
Arrangement
Arranged by type of design, and then by client.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institute. Acquired in 2013.
Preferred Citation
Ladislav Sutnar design-related archival materials, 1942-1961, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2013.M.7.
Graphic design for commercial clients,
1942-1959, undated
Box 2013.M.7.bx2*, Folder 1-2
Addo-x, posters,
circa 1956-1959
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 2
Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company, "Compressors and Vacuum Pumps,"
undated
Cuno Engineering Corporation,
1945-1946
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 3
"Cuno Continuously Cleanable Filters: For Mechanical and Process Industries,"
1945
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 4
"Cuno Continuously Cleanable Filters: For Product Designers,"
1946
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 17-18
Daggett & Ramsdell,
undated
Scope and Content Note
Color sale advertisements for shampoo, cold cream and cleansing cream.
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 19
Foxboro Company, "Industrial implementation,"
undated
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 5
Maurice Holland, Industrial Research Adviser, "Industrial Coordination,"
undated
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 20
Masonite Corporation, "Cellufoam Insulation,"
1952
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 6
Raymond Concrete Pile Company, "Concrete Piles,"
undated
Robertshaw-Fulton Controls Company,
undated
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 7
"Robertshaw Electric Oven Control with Auxiliary Top-heat Switch"
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 8
"Robertshaw Gas Thermal Eye® Control"
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 21
Sutnar Office, "Get in touch with me" client contact form,
undated
Sweet's Catalog Service,
1942-1950
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 9
"Why, What, How: Essential Product Information,"
1942
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 10
"An Experiment in Sweet's Advertising,"
1942 April 30
Scope and Content Note
Memo to Sweet's district managers from L.V. Brooks announcing the new approach to design introduced by Sutnar.
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 11
Promotional brochure for
Catalog Design: New Patterns in Product Information,
1944
Scope and Content Note
Book by K. Lönberg-Holm and Ladislav Sutnar published by Sweet's.
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 12-13
Promotional brochures for
Catalog Design Progress,
1950
Scope and Content Note
Book by K. Lönberg-Holm and Ladislav Sutnar published by Sweet's.
Warren Telechron Company,
1944-1947, undated
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 14
"Telechron Electric Clocks, Time Control Systems Clock Installation Details (28/15),"
1944
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 15
"Telechron Electric Clocks, Time Control Systems Clock Installation Details (30c/3),"
undated
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 16
"Synchronous Motors, Instrument Movements, Gear Trains (Speed Changers), Industrial Clock Equipment (3a/16),"
circa 1947
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 22
Product design for "Build the Town" block set,
circa 1941-1943
Scope and Content Note
Copies of print for promotion kit.
Box 2013.M.7.bx1, Folder 1
Exhibition design for
Visual Design in Action,
1961
Scope and Content Note
Draft of text for exhibition pamphlet at the New York venue, the Pepsi-Cola Exhibition Gallery.
Series V.
Ladislav Sutnar correspondence with Jan Tschichold (Accession no. 980003),
1941-1946
Physical Description:
0.2 linear feet
(1 box)
Request Materials: Request access to the physical materials described in this series through the
catalog record for this acquisition. Click here for the
access policy .
Scope and Content Note
Letters between Jan Tschichold and Ladislav Sutnar, dating from 1945 to 1946 form the bulk of this series, one of the five
separate archives of Sutnar-related material held by the GRI. In two letters, Tschichold informs Sutnar that he was able to
produce some work during the War years; thanks Sutnar for including their collaborative work on posters in the 1944 exhibition
marking the 15th anniversary of the Museum of Modern Art,
Art in Progress; states that he is currently writing, designing and publishing books rather than posters; and tells of the
whereabouts of friends and artists since the end of World War II. Copies of two letters from Sutnar thank Tschichold for sending
him copies of his books.
The acquisition also includes a 1941 letter from Jaroslav Joseph Polivka addressed to Mr. Director, presumably intended for
Sutnar, discussing New York. Polivka, a Czech structural engineer who had designed pavilions for the Czech contributions to
the 1937 Paris Exposition and the 1939 World's Fair, had also emigrated to the United States in 1939.
Arrangement
Arranged by writer.
Acquisition Information
Acquired in 1998.
Preferred Citation
Ladislav Sutnar correspondence with Jan Tschichold, 1941-1946, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 980003.
Box 980003.bx1, Folder 1
Letters from Sutnar to Tschichold,
1945-1946
Box 980003.bx1, Folder 2
Letters from Tschichold to Sutnar,
1945-1946
Box 980003.bx1, Folder 3
Letter from Jaroslav Polivka to Sutnar,
1941
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