Boccioni (Umberto) papers, 1898-1986

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Summary

Title:
Umberto Boccioni papers
Dates:
1898-1986
Creators:
Marinetti, F. T., 1876-1944, Cecchi, Emilio, 1884-1966, Dottori, Gerardo, 1884-1977, Buzzi, Paolo, -1956, Carrà, Carlo, 1881-1966, Boccioni, Umberto, 1882-1916, Amendola Kühn, Eva, 1880-, Balla, Giacomo, 1871-1958, and Aleramo, Sibilla, 1876-1960
Abstract:
The papers contain manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, photographs, clippings, ephemera, and other material by and about the Futurist artist and theoretician. The collection is especially representative of his Futurist period (1910-1915), and includes a number of essays, most of which were collected in the book, Pittura scultura futuriste (Dinamismo Plastico), as well as a compendium of articles regarding the 1985 show, Boccioni a Venezia.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Italian .
Preferred citation:

Umberto Boccioni papers, 1898-1986, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no. 880380.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa880380

Background

Scope and content:

The Umberto Boccioni papers consist primarily of handwritten manuscripts from Boccioni's Futurist phase (1910-1915), many of which were collected, often in somewhat different form, in his book, Pittura scultura futuriste (Dinamismo Plastico). The notes and rough draft manuscripts offer a glimpse of Boccioni's compositional method and the evolution of his ideas during his very productive final five years. Most of the correspondence is from this period as well, and is generally from Futurist colleagues to Boccioni, with a few letters from Boccioni or to Marinetti. There are also a number of letters from or between family members, dating from 1899, as well as consolation letters to family members following Boccioni's premature death, with a few letters from the 1950's. Diaries and photographs supplement the papers, offering further evidence of Boccioni's deep commitment to his work. Numerous clippings about Boccioni's work and life emphasize his importance as a 20th c. artist.

Biographical / historical:

Umberto Boccioni, born in Reggio Calabria in 1882, spent his childhood in Genova, Padova and Catania, and began his artistic career in Rome, where he worked with Giacomo Balla, who was then a Divisionist. In 1902 he went to Paris to study Impressionism and Cubism, traveled to Russia, and spent two years in Padova and Venice. He finally settled in Milan, where he met F.T. Marinetti in 1910 and became a Futurist, authoring, along with Carrà, Russolo, Balla, and Severini, "Manifesto dei pittori futuristi" (1910) and "Manifesto tecnico della pittura futurista" (1910). During the following five years, Boccioni produced what is generally considered Futurism's finest artistic legacy. Where other Futurist artists found a mechanical or formulaic solution to the problem of dynamism, Boccioni sought to portray dynamism as a dimension of consciousness. Thus, in the series "Dinamismi" (1913), or in works such as "Antigrazioso," and "Scomposizione di figure di donne a tavola," the object exists in complex relationship both to its environment and to the viewer's experience of it. He also published a number of theoretical essays about painting and sculpture, collected in the book Pittura scultura futuriste (Dinamismo Plastico) (1914), and traveled to various European cities, organizing Futurist shows and giving lectures. In 1915, he volunteered to serve in the great war and died after falling from his horse during a military drill.

Acquisition information:
Acquired 1988
Processing information:

The archive was first processed and described in 1988. Annette Leddy re-processed it and wrote a new finding aid and description in December 1994. The following books were consulted: Umberto Boccioni, Opera completa. A cura e con prefazione di F. T. Marinetti, 1927; Umberto Boccioni, Gli scritti editi e inediti. A cura di Zeno Birolli, 1971; Umberto Boccioni, Altri inediti e apparati critici. A cura di Zeno Birolli, 1972.

In April 2016, Pietro Rigolo wrote a new finding aid and description for Series I. Correspondence.

Arrangement:

The papers are organized in four series: Series I. Correspondence, 1898-1965; Series II. Manuscripts, notes and clippings, 1910-1916; Series III. Personal, 1907-1915; Series IV. Printed ephemera, 1912-1986.

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:
archives, personal papers, and manuscripts

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Annette Leddy.
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-07-20 09:14:39 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers.

Terms of access:

Contact Library Reproductions and Permissions.

Preferred citation:

Umberto Boccioni papers, 1898-1986, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no. 880380.

http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa880380

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