Roszak (Theodore) Papers, 1926-1994 (bulk 1930-1980), bulk 1930-1980

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Summary

Title:
Theodore Roszak papers
Dates:
1926-1994 (bulk 1930-1980), bulk 1930-1980
Creators:
Roszak, Theodore, 1907-1981
Abstract:
Papers of sculptor, painter, and designer Theodore Roszak include the artist's photographs of his work and installations, correspondence and documents relating to public and private commissions, lectures and teaching notes, 55 sketchbooks, working and presentation drawings, and newspaper and journal clippings, some collected in scrapbooks.
Extent:
137 Linear Feet (78 boxes, 4 rolls, 9 flat file folders, 1 portfolio)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Theodore Roszak papers, 1926-1994, bulk 1930-1980. Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 960023

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa960023

Background

Scope and content:

The Theodore Roszak papers document Theodore Roszak's artistic career, based predominantly in New York, from 1926 to 1981. The material was generated and collected by Theodore Roszak, with additional materials added by his wife Florence and his daughter Sarah Jane Roszak, some of which date to 1994. The collection contains about 137 linear feet of personal papers, photographs, business correspondence, press clippings, drawings, architectural and engineering plans and audio recordings. Media in the collection include drawings (pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, etc.), photographs, printed matter, painting, audio tapes, teaching notes, and small number of transparencies and 35 mm slides.

The collection documents Roszak's artistic processes from the sketching of an idea to the construction of the object, to its packaging and exhibition. The Roszak papers also document preservation, and logistical and financial details regarding the sale and exhibition of his artwork.

Biographical / historical:

Theodore Roszak was born May 1, 1907 in Poznan, Poland. Roszak's mother was an accomplished fashion designer and his father was a organist and prolific composer. The Roszak family emigrated to the United States in 1909 and settled in Chicago. Roszak began drawing at the age of seven; by the age of fifteen he was attending evening sessions at the Art Institute of Chicago Professional School. In 1925 he entered the Art Institute as a full-time student.

In 1929 Roszak received the Anna Louise Raymond Fellowship for European Study. He discovered the avant-garde movement abroad and was especially attracted to surrealism, particularly the work of Giorgio de Chirico. He returned to America and settled in New York in 1931 and was awarded a Tiffany Foundation Fellowship. Throughout the 1930s to the mid 1940s, Roszak produced mostly drawings, yet he was also experimenting with the extension of those drawings as manifested in paintings and sculpture. At this time he was influenced by constructivism and the machine aesthetic. His interests shifted subsequently and from 1946 onward he primarily produced sculpture in the abstract expressionist style. Roszak returned to drawing in the 1970s when illness prevented him from welding. Throughout his life, Roszak maintained an interest in photography. He created photograms until 1947. He also meticulously photographed his projects: his works in progress and the finished pieces.

Roszak is well known for his collaborations with Eero Saarinen, which include the spire and bell tower at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1956, and the Eagle for the United States Embassy in London, 1960. In 1956 a major traveling retrospective of his work was organized at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. He also had several important exhibitions at the Pierre Matisse Gallery and Hirschl and Adler Galleries, both in New York City. He held teaching positions at the Laboratory School of Industrial Design, New York, and Sarah Lawrence College. Roszak served on several government-sponsored committees, including the Advisory Committee on Cultural Presentations Program, Advisory Board of National Committee of Arts and Government, and the Fine Arts Commission, Washington D.C. and New York.

Acquisition information:
Acquired in 1996.
Arrangement:

Organized in four series:

Series I. Personal and family papers, 1930-1981

Series II. Business papers, 1930-1990

Series III. Art work, 1926-1981

Series IV. Audio recordings, undated

Physical location:
Request access to the physical materials described in this inventory through the catalog record for this collection. Click here for the access policy.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Laura Schroffel.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-12-04 09:33:12 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers. Audio visual material not available until reformatting is complete.

Terms of access:

Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.

Preferred citation:

Theodore Roszak papers, 1926-1994, bulk 1930-1980. Research Library, The Getty Research Institute, Accession no. 960023

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa960023

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
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