Collection Information
Size: 2.7 Linear feet
Summary: The papers of John Kearney measure 2.7 linear feet and date from 1945-2016. The papers document Kearney's career as a sculptor through correspondence, writings, project files and personal business files. Also found are printed materials such as clippings and exhibition announcements and photographic material of Kearney and his artwork.
Biographical/Historical Note
John Kearney (1924 2014) was a Chicago, Illinois based sculptor best known for his sculptures of animals made out of car bumpers. Kearney studied art at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, MI, after serving four years in the Navy during World War II during which time he learned welding skills repairing naval vessels. He received a Fulbright scholarship to Italy in 1963 and was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome, in 1985, 1992, 1998 and 2003. In 1949 he co-founded the Contemporary Art Workshop in Chicago, an organization dedicated to providing affordable studios and exhibition space for emerging and mid-career artists.
Provenance
Donated 2015 and 2017 by Lynn Kearney, John Kearney's widow.
Related Materials
Related materials include an Archives of American Art oral history interview with John Kearney, 2009 Mar. 12-13.
Language Note
English .
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.