Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Emilio Pettoruti letters to Julio Payr贸
- Dates:
- 1924-1957 (bulk 1943-1957)
- Creators:
- Pettoruti, Emilio, 1892-1971
- Abstract:
- The collection contains letters from the Argentine artist Emilio Pettoruti to the art historian and critic, Julio Payr贸 (1943-1957). One of the 52 letters is to Pettoruti, 3 letters are from Pettoruti's wife. A one page inventory lists Pettoruti's paintings exhibited at the Witcomb Gallery, Buenos Aires, 1924. Four newspaper clippings are reviews of Pettoruti's exhibition at the San Marco gallery in Rome (October 1953). The letters document Pettoruti's Buenos Aires exhibition in 1924, his European exhibitions in the 1950s, and his move to Paris. They reflect in their content the experience of a Latin American artist amidst the European modernism art movement of the time.
- Extent:
- 57.0 items (80 leaves)
- Language:
- Collection material is in Spanish; Castilian
- Preferred citation:
-
Emilio Pettoruti letters to Julio Payr贸, 1924, 1943-1957, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 2001.M.18.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2001m18
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Forty-seven letters are addressed to Julio Payr贸 from Emilio Pettoruti. Pettoruti's wife, Maria Rosa, typed many of the letters and sometimes added a note at the end, signing with her initials. Four letters are entirely hers. One letter is to Pettoruti from the Comisi贸n Argentina de Artistas Pl谩sticos por la Paz.
Most of the letters are dense with information about modern art and artists, artistic events, and their echo in the media. Pettoruti informs Payr贸 about Argentinian artists working abroad, and discusses European artists and the impact of politics on exhibition reviews. His patriotic euphoria at the downfall of the Peronist dictatorship is soon followed by disenchantment and criticism. The artist and his wife try to explain his new work and innovative colors to Payr贸, who is writing about Pettoruti for Studio magazine.
A typed inventory lists the paintings in Pettoruti's 1924 exhibit at the Witcomb gallery; 4 clippings review his 1953 exhibit in Rome.
Because of the fragility of the letters, the entire collection was scanned by the repository in 2003. The numbering for each item refers to the individual digital images.
Arrangement noteThe collection is arranged in two series and each item is numbered, 1-57: Series I. Letters to Julio Payr贸, 1943-1957; Series II. Miscellanea, 1924, 1953
- Biographical / historical:
-
Emilio Pettoruti was born in La Plata, Argentina, of Italian parents. In 1913 he went to Italy, where he came in contact with the Italian avantgarde (F. T. Marinetti, and later the group around Giacomo Balla and Giorgio de Chirico). In 1921 he went to Munich and in 1923 was invited to exhibit at Der Sturm gallery in Berlin. He returned home in 1924, opening an exhibit of his work in Buenos Aires at the Witcomb gallery. Pettoruti taught at the university and served as director of the Fine Arts museum in La Plata while continuing to paint. In 1952 he returned to Europe and in 1953 he settled in Paris, where he lived for the rest of his life.
- Acquisition information:
- Acquired in 2001.
- Physical location:
- To access physical materials on site, go to the library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for access policy.
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2016-02-02T18:00-0800
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers.
- Terms of access:
-
Contact Library Rights and Reproductions.
- Preferred citation:
-
Emilio Pettoruti letters to Julio Payr贸, 1924, 1943-1957, Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 2001.M.18.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2001m18
- Location of this collection:
-
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
- Contact:
- (310) 440-7390