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Table of contents What's This?
  • Related Materials
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Arrangement note
  • Biographical/Historical Note
  • Processing History
  • Acquisition Information
  • Preferred Citation
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Existence and Location of Copies

  • Contributing Institution: Special Collections
    Title: Erich and Luise Mendelsohn papers
    Creator: Meier, Günter
    Creator: Maas, Rosa, 1858-1941
    Creator: Mendelsohn, Erich, 1887-1953
    Creator: Mendelsohn, Luise, 1894-1980
    Creator: Mendelsohn, Esther
    Creator: Eckardt, Wolf von, 1918-1995
    Creator: Hahn, Marianne
    Creator: Hunter, Richard M.
    Creator: Beyer, Oskar, 1882-
    Creator: Trocmé family
    Creator: Wijdeveld, H. Th., 1885-1987
    Creator: Zevi, Bruno, 1918-2000
    Creator: Velde, Henry van de, 1863-1957
    Creator: Posener, Julius
    Creator: Roggero, Mario Federico
    Creator: Whittick, Arnold, 1898-1986
    Creator: Mumford, Lewis, 1895-1990
    Creator: Ponti, Gio, 1891-1979
    Creator: Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1902-1983
    Identifier/Call Number: 880406
    Physical Description: 22 Linear Feet (43 boxes, 2 flat file folders)
    Date (inclusive): 1894-1992
    Abstract: The archive, from the estate of Luise Mendelsohn, comprises the personal correspondence and documents of the Mendelsohn family. Includes transcripts or originals of correspondence between Erich and Luise Mendelsohn (1910-1953) reflecting Erich Mendelsohn's architectural, aesthetic, and political development. Other papers concern Erich's architectural legacy and include manuscripts of Luise's unpublished autobiography and biographical notes on her husband, photographs of family life and architectural projects, microfilm copies of typescripts and drawings, audiotapes of lectures, and five drawings by Erich's students.
    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 .
    Language of Material: Collection material is in German and English.

    Related Materials

    The bulk of the Erich Mendelsohn papers is held by the Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    The Erich and Luise Mendelsohn Papers include personal family correspondence, photographs, and documents from the estate of Luise Mendelsohn, spanning the period from her early correspondence with Erich Mendelsohn in 1910 until her death in 1980. Materials include letters and manuscripts by Luise Mendelsohn, her personal diaries, autobiography and correspondence with scholars concerning exhibitions and publications on her late husband. Her personal correspondence with Erich Mendelsohn provides rare insights into his architectural projects and his views on modern art. The papers of Luise Mendelsohn demonstrate how she managed her late husband's architectural estate and maintained a broad correspondence with leading architectural historians. This material also documents her contribution to architecture, in particular her support for a national museum dedicated to modern architecture - a notion she credited to her husband.
    Individuals represented in the Mendelsohn Papers include: Felix Ben Ari, Oskar Beyer, Ralph Beyer, William Bruck, Wolf von Eckardt, Walter Gropius, Marianne Hahn, Hugo Häring, Armin Hermann, Richard Hunter, Erich (Eric) Mendelsohn, Luise Mendelsohn, Maria Luise Esther Mendelsohn, Lewis Mumford, Dione Neutra, Victoria Ocampo, Ariel Parkinson, Thomas S. Politis, Giovanni Ponti, Julius Posener, Nikolaus Posener, Mario Federico Roggero, Hans Scharoun, Hans Schiller, Joost Schmidt, Salmann Schocken, Henry van de Velde, Arthur Voyce, H. Th. Wijdeveld, Arnold Wittick, Bruno Zevi.
    Selected correspondence between Erich and Luise Mendelsohn has been digitized and contributed to the digital Erich Mendelsohn Archive, organized and hosted by the Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: http://ema.smb.museum/en/home .

    Arrangement note

    The Erich and Luise Mendelsohn Papers are organized in 11 series. Series I. Correspondence and manuscripts, Erich and Luise Mendelsohn, 1910-1953; Series II. Family correspondence and documents, 1903-1992; Series III. Manuscripts, lectures, and publications by Erich Mendelsohn, 1919-1955; Series IV. Collected documentation, articles, and publications about Erich Mendelsohn, 1924-1992; Series V. Correspondence and printed material related to exhibitions on Erich Mendelsohn, 1942-1980; Series VI. Luise Mendelsohn correspondence, 1924-1980, bulk 1953; Series VII. Luise Mendelsohn travel diaries, biography of Erich Mendelsohn and autobiography, 1934-1980; Series VIII. Disposal of the Erich Mendelsohn archive, 1966-1987; Series IX. Family and architectural photographs, 1894-1988; Series X. Audio and video recordings, microfilm and slides, 1952-1980; Series XI. Architectural drawings and exhibition poster, 1950, 1978.

    Biographical/Historical Note

    1887: Erich Mendelsohn is born on March 21st in the East Prussian town of Allenstein (now Olsztyn, Poland).
    1907-1909: Begins his studies in national economics at the University of Munich; in 1909 transfers to the Technical University in Berlin to begin his study of architecture, which he continues in Munich.
    1910: Meets his future wife, Luise (Luise) Maas (born 1894), a young cellist.
    1911-1914: Passes his final examination in architecture; designs costumes, stage sets, and window displays; begins his relationship with the Expressionist artists Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Paul Klee, and Hugo Ball, and the astrophysicist Erwin Freundlich. Marries Luise (Maas) Mendelsohn.
    1915-1918: Volunteers for the Engineering Corps, serves at the Russian Front. Executes his first sketches for the Einstein Tower. Birth of only child, Esther, on May 4, 1916.
    1918-1922: Transferred to the Western Front in 1918. Returns to Berlin and opens his architectural firm; mounts his first public exhibition "Architecture in Steel and Concrete," Paul Cassirer Gallery, Berlin, and executes his "Dune Architecture" series and the Einstein Tower, Potsdam.
    1923-1925: Lectures in Amsterdam, makes first trip to Palestine, the United States and Russia, and co-founds the Modern architecture group, the "Ring."
    1926-1929: Executes a series of major department stores, designs for competitions, and the Metal Workers' Union Administration Building, Berlin.
    1930-1932: Travels to Greece, Spain, England, and France. Executes the Columbus House, Berlin and becomes a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts.
    1933-1935: Leaves Germany for Holland, establishes "European Mediterranean Academy," forms a partnership with Serge Chermayeff in England, and executes the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, England, and Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
    1936-1940: Executes several projects in Jerusalem, becomes a British citizen and volunteers for the British army.
    1941-1945: Immigrates to the United States, lectures extensively, eventually settles in San Francisco and begins work on his book, "Architecture in a Changing World, or a Philosophy of Architecture," and exhibits his work at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
    1946-1948: Becomes a US citizen, executes several commissions, and is appointed lecturer in the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley.
    1949-1953: Executes architectural commissions in the US and dies in San Francisco on September 15, 1953.
    1952: Publication of Il contributo di Mendelsohn alla evoluzione dell'architettura moderna, by Mario Federico Roggero (Milan, 1952).
    1954: Retrospective exhibition, "The Palestine Period in Erich Mendelsohn's Work," Milan Triennale.
    1956: Publication of Eric Mendelsohn, by Arnold Whittick (2nd ed., London, 1956; 1st ed. published 1940).
    1960: International traveling exhibition, "100 Sketches," Venice Biennale, and publication of Eric Mendelsohn, by Wolf von Eckardt (New York, 1960).
    1967: Publication of Eric Mendelsohn: letters of an architect, Oskar Beyer, ed., with introduction by Nikolaus Pevsner (London, 1967).
    1968: International traveling exhibition organized by the Verein Deutsches Bauzentrum, and Akademie der Künste.
    1969: Exhibition, "The Drawing of Eric Mendelsohn," University Art Museum, Berkeley, CA.
    1970: Publication of Erich Mendelsohn: opera completa, by Bruno Zevi (Milan, 1970) with biographical notes by Luise Mendelsohn.
    1975: Sale of the Erich Mendelsohn collection of drawings and manuscripts to the Kunstbibliothek, Berlin.
    1980: Death of Luise Mendelsohn, San Francisco, CA.

    Processing History

    The Erich and Luise Mendelsohn papers (880406) comprise materials from the Luise Mendelsohn papers (880398) and the Erich Mendelsohn papers (880406), together with five smaller acquisitions. The archive was processed and described by Scott Wolf in December, 1996. In September 2009 item counts were added to the container list for boxes 3-6. In 2010-2011 selected correspondence was cataloged by Isabella Zuralski and Alexis Adkins as part of a collaborative digitization project with the Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. The digital Erich Mendelsohn Archive is available on the Kunstbibliothek website: http://ema.smb.museum/en/home .

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired in several acquisitions in 1988 from the estate of Luise Mendelsohn.

    Preferred Citation

    Erich and Luise Mendelsohn papers, 1894-1992, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 880406.
    http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa880406

    Access

    Open for use by qualified researchers.

    Publication Rights

    Existence and Location of Copies

    Selected correspondence between Erich and Luise Mendelsohn was digitized in 2011 and contributed to the digital Erich Mendelsohn Archive, organized and hosted by the Kunstbibliothek, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: http://ema.smb.museum/en/home .

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Audiocassettes
    Diaries
    Photographic prints
    Architectural criticism
    Expressionism (Art)
    Architecture, Modern -- 20th century
    Architecture, Modern -- Exhibitions
    Neo-impressionism (Art)
    Futurism (Art)
    Videocassettes
    Watercolors
    Photographs, Original
    Sketchbooks
    Presidio of San Francisco (Calif.)
    Architectural drawings (visual works)
    Soviet Union -- Description and travel
    United States -- Description and travel
    Asia -- Description and travel
    Europe -- Description and travel
    Mendelsohn, Erich, 1887-1953
    Mendelsohn, Luise, 1894-1980
    Feininger, Lyonel, 1871-1956
    Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
    Kandinsky, Wassily, 1866-1944
    Lissitzky, El, 1890-1941
    Le Corbusier, 1887-1965
    Velde, Henry van de, 1863-1957
    Gropius, Walter, 1883-1969
    Worringer, Wilhelm, 1881-1965
    Wagner, Otto, 1841-1918
    Neutra, Richard Joseph, 1892-1970
    Oud, J. J. P. (Jacobus Johannes Pieter), 1890-1963
    Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig, 1886-1969
    Poelzig, Hans, 1869-1936
    Picasso, Pablo, 1881-1973