Series VIII: Works of art, 1920s-1980s
- Scope and content:
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Schapiro began his artistic practice early in his life when, in his teens, he attended evening art classes taught by artist John Sloan at the Hebrew Settlement House. Schapiro would continually sketch, draw, paint, and sculpt throughout his life, and this series houses the single largest collection of his works of art.
Included in this collection are prints, drawings paintings, sculptures, printing plates, linoleum printing blocks, and sketchbooks from the 1920s through the 1980s. They include images he created at Columbia University, during his trips abroad in Europe and the Near East, portraits of his wife Lillian Milgram Schapiro, and friends, such as Whittaker Chambers.
In 1987, 65 of Schapiro's art works were displayed in the exhibition "Meyer Schapiro: Works of Art, 1919-1979" at Columbia University's Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery. Consult Series I: Personal papers, Subseries: I.4: Exhibitions for records relating to that exhibition.
For all other administrative records relating to Schapiro's works of art, Subseries: VIII.1: Administrative records, 1980s-1990s
- Biographical / historical:
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For Schapiro, the practice of art and the academic pursuit of the art historical discipline were two sides of the same token. Many of his drawings and paintings reflect his interest in issues of form, content, and visual perception, issues pertinent to his writings on art theory.
- Arrangement:
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The works of art in this series are divided by medium to facilitate discovery of the material as follows: Subseries: VIII.2: Prints and drawings, 1920s-1980s, Subseries: VIII.3: Paintings, 1930s-1980s, Subseries: VIII.4: Sculptures and printing plates, 1930s-1980s, Subseries: VIII.5: Linoleum printing blocks, circa 1930s-1960s, Subseries: VIII.6: Sketchbooks, 1960s.
Contents
Access and use
- Parent restrictions:
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This collection has no restrictions. The following boxes are located off-site: [55-665, 672-686]. You will need to request this material from the Rare Book and Manuscript Library at least three business days in advance to use the collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library reading room. Boxes 1-54 from Series VIII: Works of art remain on-site as do the glass plate negative boxes 666-671.
Some unique time-based media items have been reformatted and are available onsite via links in the container list. Commercial materials are not routinely digitized. Email rbml@columbia.edu for more information.
- Parent terms of access:
- Reproductions may be made for research purposes. The RBML maintains ownership of the physical material only. Copyright remains with the creator and his/her heirs. The responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers interested in viewing materials in the RBML reading room must must book an appointment at least 7 days in advance. To make the most of your visit, be sure to request your desired materials before booking your appointment, as researchers are limited to 5 items per day.
- Contact:
- rbml@library.columbia.edu