Michael Lekakis papers, 1940-1990

Lekakis, Michael, b. 1907 d. 1987
Painter, Sculptor, Poet
New York, N.Y.

Collection size: 0.4 linear ft. (on 2 microfilm reels)
Addition: 0.4 linear ft.

Collection Summary: Correspondence; U.S. Army records; postcards; telegrams; a monologue; photographs; catalogs; clippings; and publications.

REEL N69-131: U.S. Army records commenting on Lekakis' work in camouflage during World War II; 11 letters, postcards and telegrams, 1951-1963, from Marion and E.E. Cummings concerning translations, from U.S.I.S. officers, and from the Baltimore Museum of Art, the last concerning a Lekakis painting rejected by the Trustees; a xerox monologue, "Medea at Corinth," by Joseph Freeman, and a comment on Lekakis by Henry Gilford; photographs; catalogs; and clippings.

REELS 3090-3091: Papers pertaining to poets Charles Olson and Ezra Pound. Included are 12 letters and postcards from Olson, a letter from the University of Connecticut Archives requesting information about Olson, and two publications (Y & X, 1948 and Right Angle, 1949) which contain poems by Olson. In addition there are 32 letters and postcards, 1953-1958, from Ezra Pound, two letters from Dorothy Pound, and a letter from James Johnson Sweeney to Ezra Pound about the possibility of acquiring Lekakis's sculpture for the Guggenheim.

ADDITION: Biographical information, including records from the memorial service for Lekakis held at the Art Students League, March 6, 1988; clippings, 1962-1988; exhibition announcements, 1946-1990, and catalogs, 1980-1988; poems by Lekakis; and a transcript of a Voice of America radio interview.

Biographical/Historical Note: Painter, sculptor, poet; New York, N.Y.

Donated 1969-1978 by Michael Lekakis, except for Cummings & Pound letters which were returned to Lekakis after microfilming, and in 1992 by Catherine Lekakis Hios, sister of Michael Lekakis.

How to Use this Collection

• Microfilm reels N69-131 and 3090-3091 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
• Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.
• For more information on using the Archives’ resources, see the FAQ or Ask Us.