Joseph W. Groell papers, 1925-2007, bulk 1950-1991

• Collection Summary
• More about the Collection

View all 1 Image Gallery items from this collection

A Finding Aid to the Papers of Joseph W. Groell, 1925-2007, bulk 1950-1991, in the Archives of American Art, by Catherine S. Gaines

Download PDF Version of this page

Table of Contents:

• Biographical Information
• Overview of the Collection
• How to Use the Collection
• Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Biographical Information

Joseph W. Groell (b. 1928) is known as a teacher of figure drawing and painting in the academic tradition. He has lived and worked in New York City since 1950.

A native of Pittsburgh, Groell earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) in 1950 and promptly moved to New York City. In 1952 he became one of the original members of Tanager Gallery, the earliest of the Tenth Street co-operative galleries.

Groell taught life drawing at Pratt Institute of Technology during the academic year 1960-1961. He then served on faculty of Brooklyn College art department until retiring in 1990. In the early 1990s Groell became affiliated with the New York Academy of Art, a graduate school of figurative art with a strong emphasis drawing, traditional methods and techniques.

Return to top

Overview of the Collection

Scope and Contents

The Joseph W. Groell papers, 1925-3007, bulk 1950-2007, measure 2.2 linear feet, and primarily document his career as an art instructor. The papers include biographical material, letters, writings, subject files, printed material, artwork, and photographs. Teaching files constitute the majority of the collection. Ten volumes of lecture notes with visual examples from sources including his own sketchbook, and student project instructions survive for courses Groell taught at Brooklyn College, 1970s-1990; and three volumes of notes and illustrations relate to figure drawing courses he taught at the New York Academy of Art, 1990-1991.

Arrangement and Series Description

The collection is arranged as # series:

• Series 1: Biographical Material, 1952-1996 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)
• Series 2: Letters, 1925-1971 (Box 1; 1 folder)
• Series 3: Writings, 1951-1955 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)
• Series 4: Teaching Files, 1970s-1991 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear ft.)
• Series 5: Subject Files, 1952-2005 (Box 2; 0.4 linear ft.)
• Series 6: Printed Material, 1953-1983 (Box 2; 0.2 linear ft.)
• Series 7: Artwork, circa 1925-1953 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)
• Series 8: Photographs, 1948-2007 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)

Subjects and Names

Provenance

Joseph W. Groell donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 2011.

Separated and Related Materials

How the Collection was Processed

The collection was processed by Catherine S. Gaines in 2011.

How to Use the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.

Ownership & Literary Rights

The Joseph W. Groell papers are owned by the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Literary rights as possessed by the donor have been dedicated to public use for research, study, and scholarship. The collection is subject to all copyright laws.

Available Formats

Location of Originals

How to Cite this Collection

Joseph W. Groell papers, 1925-2007, bulk 1950-1991. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Return to top

Detailed Description and Container Inventory

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1952-1996 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Theophil Groell (1932-2004), who sometimes used the name Theophil Repke, is represented by an audio recording of a talk delivered to the Union of Maine Visual Artists at the Ellsworth Public Library, Ellsworth, Maine. Like his brother, Joe, he studied painting at Carnegie Institute of Technology and then taught in New York City. After retirement, Theophil lived and painted in Maine.

Folder Title

Series 2: Letters, 1925-1971 (Box 1; 1 folder)

Most letters date from the 1950s and convey news of family and friends. Among the friends were classmates from Carnegie Institute of Technology who wrote about art and congratulated Groell on his shows at Tanager Gallery. Of particular note are two postcards from The Club. The first, undated, invites Groell to join the group; the second announces "What is Your Subject?" a panel discussion featuring Joe Groell, Red Grooms, Alex Katz, and Fairfield Porter, moderated by Murray Israel, to be held on February 23, 1962. A letter from Groell to the Editor of The New York Times expresses opposition to the defense of Quemoy and voices concern that it could lead to war with Red China.

Additional letters are found among the subject files (Series 5).

Series 3: Writings, 1951-1955 (Box 1; 0.1 linear ft.)

Journal entries contain sporadic musings on artistic problems and philosophical issues, with a few accounts of daily activities. Some are handwritten, others are typed; many contain revisions.

A small number of additional writings can be found among the subject files (Series 5) and Groell's sketchbook (Series 7).

Series 4: Teaching Files, 1970s-1991 (Boxes 1-2; 1.2 linear ft.)

Thirteen volumes contain lecture notes, visual examples (original artwork and photocopies from sketchbooks and other sources), and student project instructions for Groell's courses at Brooklyn College and New York Academy of Art. These are supplemented by three videotapes of Brooklyn College M.F.A. shows at Westbeth Gallery that include interviews with some of his students. Another videotape, "The New York Academy of Art," is a short overview of the school's program with a brief section featuring Groell and students discussing figure drawing.

A subject file titled "Brooklyn College - Administrative Records and Correspondence" (Series 5) contains information about Groell's teaching career at that institution.

Series 5: Subject Files, 1952-2005 (Box 2; 0.4 linear ft.)

Subject files, created and maintained by Groell, contain varying combinations of correspondence, writings, printed material and photographs.

"Stable Annuals - Marika Herskovic" concerns New York School Abstract Expressionists: Artists by Choice; A Complete Documentation of the New York Painting and Sculpture Annuals; 1951-1957 (Marika Herskovic, editor, New York School Press, 2000). Included are copies of selected 1950s diary entries Groell shared with Herskovic for her for research.

Series 6: Printed Material, 1953-1983 (Box 2; 0.2 linear ft.)

Additional printed material is found in many subject files (Series 5).

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1925-1953 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)

Groell's sketchbook, "Summer - 1952 (Pgh.)," also includes a few pages of notes and miscellaneous writings, and two published reproductions of Minoan art. Photographs are of miscellaneous subjects: African-American women, a theater sign, and a building demolition site.

Albert Swinden (1901-1961), English by birth, came to the United States by way of Canada. By the mid-1920s he was living in New York City and studying at the Art Students League with Hans Hofmann. Swinden was among the group that founded American Abstract Artists in1937. Much of Swinden's work was destroyed in 1940 when the studio he shared with Balcomb Greene caught fire.

Series 8: Photographs, 1948-2007 (Box 3; 0.1 linear ft.)

Additional photographs are found in subject files (Series 5), and artwork (Series 7) includes photographs by Groell.