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

  • Contributing Institution: Special Collections
    Title: Bernard Rudofsky papers
    Creator: Rudofsky, Bernard, 1905-1988
    Identifier/Call Number: 920004
    Physical Description: 23.2 Linear Feet (25 boxes, 23 flat file folders, 1 roll)
    Date (inclusive): ca. 1910-1987
    Abstract: Architect, exhibition organizer, and architectural theorist. Rudofsky's working papers consist of 56 notebooks with writings and drawings; magazine articles; magazine cover designs; ca. 150 drawings in watercolor, pencil, and crayon; plans, sketches, and photographs of his building projects in Brazil, Italy, and the United States; illustrated lectures; photographs of exhibition installations organized by Rudofsky; and examples of fashion designs. Also included are 33 travel notebooks (1948-1984) with many drawings, and ca. 5,500 color slides and ca. 125 black and white photographs taken during his travels.
    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: English .

    Access

    Open for use by qualified researchers.

    Preferred Citation

    Bernard Rudofsky papers, ca. 1910-1987, The Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 920004.
    http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa920004

    Acquisition Information

    Acquired in 1992.

    Processing History

    Approximately 30 books were transferred to the library in 1991. Lynda Bunting processed the collection in April 1998. J. Gibbs re-processed sections of the collection and amended the finding aid in 2005.

    Biographical/Historical Note

    Chronology

    1905 Born April 13.
    1922-1928 Attends Technische Hochschule, Vienna.
    1928 Receives masters in architecture and English.
    1928-1929 Works in office of Professor O.R. Salvisberg, Dean, School of Architecture, Berlin.
    1930-1931 Associate of Professor S. Theiss, Dean, School of Architecture, Vienna.
    1931 Receives doctorate.
    1932-1935 Ghost architect for national competitions, Capri, Naples.
    1935-1936 Study trip to the United States.
    1936 Designs Casa Oro, Naples.
    1937-1938 Partner of Giovanni Ponti, Milan, and editor of Domus.
    1938-1941 Independent architect, São Paulo, Brazil.
    1941 Second visit to the United States upon the invitation of the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA) as the Brazilian winner of an inter-American design competition. Permanently resides in New York until his death.
    1942-1943 Associate Editor and Art Director, New Pencil Points (now known as Progressive Architecture).
    1944-1945 Director of Apparel Research, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Guest Director of Exhibitions, MoMA, for "Are Clothes Modern?"
    1945 Receives New York State architectural license.
    1946-1949 Editorial and Art Director, Interiors.
    1956 Guest Director of Exhibitions, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for "Textiles U.S.A."
    1956-1957 Bemis Visiting Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
    1957-1958 Chief Architect and Originator of the United States Government Exhibitions at the United States Pavilion, Brussels Universal Exposition.
    1958-1960 Research Professor, Waseda University, Tokyo.
    1961 Visiting Critic, Graduate School of Architecture, Yale University.
    1961-1965 Consultant, Department of Architecture, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
    1961-1963 Member, Advisory Screening Committee on Art & Architecture, United States Government Awards.
    1964 Guest Director of Exhibitions, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for "Architecture without architects."
    1965 Guest Director of Exhibitions, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) for "Japanese Manuscript Maps" with works from his own collection.
    1965-1966 Visiting Professor of Art, Yale.
    1975 Guest Professor of Architecture, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen.
    1979-1981 Smithsonian Scholar in Residence, Cooper-Hewitt Museum, New York.
    1988 Dies in New York.

    Scope and Content of the Collection

    Bernard Rudofsky's papers document his architectural and other design ideas through 56 notebooks with dense writings and pencil drawings, magazine cover designs, ca. 150 drawings of building studies and other designs, and plans, sketches and photographs of his building projects in Brazil, Italy and the United States. Included are his illustrated lectures, magazine articles by and about him, photographs of exhibition installations organized by Rudofsky, and examples of fashion designs. Also included are 33 travel notebooks (1948-1984) with writings and many drawings, and ca. 5500 color slides and 128 black and white photographic prints taken during his travels. Includes a copy of his dissertation.

    Arrangement note

    The papers are arranged in 2 series: Series I. Working papers, ca. 1910-1987; Series II. Travel notebooks and photographs, ca. 1910-1987.

    Publication Rights

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Architecture -- Brazil -- São Paulo
    Slides (photographs)
    Architecture -- Italy -- Capri
    Architecture -- United States
    Architecture, Domestic
    Clothing and dress
    Fashion design
    Architectural drawings (visual works)
    Sketches
    Photographs, Original
    Photographic prints
    Notebooks
    Rudofsky, Bernard, 1905-1988