Collection Information
Size: 1.8 Linear feet
Summary: The papers of sculptor Alexander Stoller measure 1.8 linear feet and date from 1860-1996, with the bulk of the records dating from 1920s-1996. The records document Stoller's career through biographical material, professional files, printed material, photographs, artwork, and several VHS video recordings.
Biographical/Historical Note
Alexander Stoller (1902-1994) was a sculptor in Massachusetts. He began his career in New York, outlining photographs for the art department of Dry Goods Economist at 15 years old. By this time he had left school and never graduated. He then worked in the art departments of several other firms including Jay Francis Press, Metro Pictures, and J. Walter Thompson. During this time, 1917-1926, he began taking night classes in painting and drawing. It was not until January 1927 when Stoller was in Italy that he began sculpting for the first time. When he arrived in Italy, Stoller made his way to the commune, Anticoli Corrado, in search of American sculptor Maurice Sterne. Unable to find Sterne and looking to begin sculpting, Stoller enrolled in the British Academy of Art in Rome and learned from Antonio Sciortino for six months.
Read More
Provenance
The bulk of the collection was donated in 2003 by Linda Wesselman Jackson, manager of collections at the Chesterwood National Trust for Historic Preservation. Members of the Stoller family gave works of art along with these papers to Chesterwood with the understanding that these papers would be forwarded to the Archives of American Art. Stoller lent 29 items in 1976, which were microfilmed on reel 1182; included in the 2003 estate donation are approximately half of the documents previously lent for microfilming.
Language Note
English .
Location of Originals
- Reel 1182: Originals returned to lender after microfilming, and approximately half were later returned to the Archives of American Art with papers donated in 2003.
Funding Note
The processing of this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care and Preservation Fund, administered by the National Collections Program and the Smithsonian Collections Advisory Committee.