Collection Information
Size: 2.6 Linear feet; 9.32 Gigabytes
Summary: The papers of Irwin Rubin measure 2.6 linear feet and date from 1930 to 2004, with the bulk from the late 1940s to the early 2000s. The collection documents Rubin's work as a professional artist and educator through biographical material, personal and professional correspondence, writings, interviews, personal business records, gallery and exhibition files, project files, photographic material, printed material, and artwork.
Biographical material includes school records and diplomas, resumes, address book, and assorted life documents. Correspondence primarily reflects relationships with former classmates and students, as well as his teacher Josef Albers. Writings include a manuscript of Rubin's Yale MFA thesis, two interview transcripts (1997, 2004), and two sketchbooks from the 1950s. Photographic materials include documentation (prints and slides) of Rubin's artwork as well as photos of the artist, studio, family, and friends. Also included are sales records from the Bertha Schaefer Gallery, publications and printed materials featuring Rubin's work, teaching materials from his long tenure at The Cooper Union (1967-2001), and print editions by colleagues from Cooper Union and Pratt Institute. Also included is a USB drive containing digital materials gathered between 2019 and 2022 by Rubin's former student Carmelle Safdie. These research materials relate to Rubin's exhibition and publication history, works in public and private collections, and Rubin's own collection of antiquities and global artifacts, correspondence with former students, museum staff, and private collectors.