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  2. Lena Gurr papers, 1908-1979
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Lena Gurr papers, 1908-1979

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Select containers from the following list if you want to request them for reading room use or reproduction

Series 1:Biographical Material, undated, 1968
1 Folder
Box 1

This series consists of one résumé each for Gurr and Biel.
Biographical materials are on reel 5940.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Biographical material, 1968, undated
1
1
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Series 2:Correspondence, 1921-1979, undated
3.1 Linear feet
Boxes 1-4

Correspondence in this series concerns general topics and art-related activities and is between Gurr, family members, galleries including the ACA Gallery, and colleagues including Mary Cecil Allen, Mary Ascher, Herman Baron, Dorothy Block, Jean De Marco, Emma Ehrenreich, Clare Fasano, Ralph Fabri, Juliana Force, Minna Harkavy, Rockwell Kent, Karl Knaths, Louis Lozowick, Ross and Dorothy Moffett, John von Wicht, and Lynd Ward.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Correspondence, 1921-1950
Reel 4940
1
2-38
Correspondence, 1950-1956
Reel 4941
1
39-69
Correspondence, 1956-1957
Reel 4941
2
1-12
Correspondence, 1958-1963
Reel 4942
2
13-53
Correspondence, 1963-1965
Reel 4943
2
54-69
Correspondence, 1966-1970
Reel 4943
3
1-27
Correspondence, 1970-1978
Reel 4944
3
28-69
Correspondence, 1978-1979
Reel 4944
4
1-3
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Series 3:Notes, 1926-1972
4 Folders
Box 4

This series includes lists of Gurr's exhibitions and a notebook of serigraphs exhibited and sold.
Notes are on reel 5945.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Notebook, list of exhibitions, 1926-1954
4
4
Lists of exhibition, 1926-1954
4
5
Notebook, serigraphs exhibited/sold, 1938-1972
4
6
Miscellaneous notes, undated, 1963
4
7
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Series 4:Interview, 1950
1 Sound recording
Box 4

The interview found here was recorded on a vinyl phonograph album and is by Jan Gelb for the El Paso, Texas, radio show "Of Interest to Women."
DescriptionContainerSelect
Interview, 1950
4
8
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Series 5:Artwork, circa 1908-1951
36 Folders
Box 4

Artwork found in this series consists of drawings, watercolors, oil sketches, a lithograph by Gurr, caricatures by Joseph Biel, designs by Gurr and Biel for Christmas cards, and two monoprints by Hy Fogelberg. There are also ten of Gurr's sketchbooks. The 1932 sketchbook contains a drawing by George Grosz in the style of Van Gogh and the 1930-1932 sketchbook contains Gurr's drawing of Raphael Soyer.
Artwork is on reel 4946.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Drawings, circa 1908-1920
4
9-12
School assignments
"Twigs,", circa 1915
4
13
Watercolor flowers, 1915
4
14
Perspective drawings, 1915
4
15-16
Technical drawings, 1915
4
17
Life class drawings, 1917
4
18
"Nudes: homes of models,", 1917
4
19
"Drawings: at home-- under the influence of Ostrowsky,", 1918-1919
4
20
"Drawings: at Ostrowsky's,", 1919
4
21
"Drawings: Dickinson's class,", 1919-1920
4
22
Landscape drawings: pencil, crayon, watercolor, 1919-1920
4
23
Landscape drawings: pastel, 1919-1920
4
24-25
Drawings: Hebrew Educational Society, 1919-1920
4
26-28
Drawings: Rittenberg, Summer 1920
4
29
Watercolors, 1919-1920
4
30
Oil sketches, undated
4
31-32
Lithograph, 1951
4
33
Sketchbooks, undated, 1930-1932
4
34-43
Caricatures by Joseph Biel (2) (caricatures of Montaigly? and Wi_____am?, undated
4
44
Designs for Christmas cards, 1931-1942
4
45
Monoprints by Hy Fogelberg, 1938
4
46
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Series 6:Scrapbooks, 1912-1948
1.45 Linear feet
Boxes 4-5, 8-11

This series consists of nine scrapbooks containing letters, clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, award certificates, and a few photographs concerning Gurr and Biel. One scrapbook contains a typescript about Gurr and Elisabeth Model.
Scrapbooks are on reels 4946-4947.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Joseph Biel scrapbook, 1927-1948
(includes 13 letters, 1931-1948; clippings, 1929-1947; 25 exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1927-1945)
4
47
Lena Gurr scrapbook 1, 1912-1943
(16 letters, 1928-1943; clippings, 1912-1941; 16 exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1928-1942; a photograph of Gurr and Biel; a photograph of an art work, undated)
5
1
Loose items from scrapbooks 1 and 2
5
2-3
Scrapbook, catalog and Mary Cecil Allen material, 1962-1963
(this scrapbook contains 7 clippings regarding the death of Mary Cecil Allen and transcripts of 4 letters from Allen's attorney; and a catalog of Gurr's exhibition at the ACA Gallery)
5
4
Lena Gurr scrapbook 2, 1943-1947
(24 letters, 1944-1947; clippings, 1943-1947; 20 exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1944-1947; 2 brochures, 1945; an award certificate, 1945)
8
1
Lena Gurr scrapbook 3, 1947-1951
(38 letters, 1947-1951; clippings, 1947-1949; 30 exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1947-1951; 4 brochures, 1947-1951; 2 newsletters, 1950; a press release, 1947; 3 award certificates, 1949-1951; a typescript "Art Review" by Peter Lipman-Wulf about Gurr and Elisabeth Model; a photograph of exhibition installation, 1947)
8
2
Lena Gurr scrapbook 4, 1951-1957
(41 letters, 1951-1957; 28 exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1951-1957; a program, 1951; a newsletter, 1952; a bulletin, 1957; a prospectus, 1952; 2 award certificates, 1954)
9
1
Lena Gurr scrapbook 5, 1958-1963
(34 letters, 1958-1963; clippings, 1958-1963; 28 exhibition catalogs, 1958-1963; 4 bulletins, 1958-1960; a newsletter, 1962; 7 award certificates, 1958-1961; a photograph of N.A.W.A. exhibition, 1959)
10
1
Lena Gurr scrapbook 6, 1963-1965
(10 letters, 1964-1965; clippings, 1963-1965; 5 exhibition catalogs, 1964-1965; an award certificate, 1964; an invoice, 1965)
10
2
Lena Gurr scrapbook 7, 1966-1972
(45 letters, 1966-1972; clippings, 1966-1972; 16 exhibition catalogs, 1966-1970; 2 award certificates, 1971)
11
1
Lena Gurr scrapbook 8, 1972-1978
(54 letters, 1972-1978; 11 exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1972-1977; 5 award certificates, 1973-1978; 4 loan agreements, 1976-1978)
11
2
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Series 7:Printed Material, 1926-1978
21 Folders
Box 5

This series consists of clippings, exhibition announcements and catalogs, and brochures.
Printed materials are on reel 4947.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Clippings, 1958-1978
5
5
Exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1926-1974, undated
5
6-25
Brochures, 1946-1948
5
26
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Series 8:Photographs, 1912-1978
1.05 Linear feet
Boxes 5-7

This series includes an photograph album picturing Gurr's mother, and Gurr at the Art Students League, with her friends, with Joseph Biel in their Paris studio, at the World's Fair, and camping with Louis and Adele Lozowick. Photographs of family members include Gurr's parents, her brother Abe, and miscellaneous nieces and nephews. There are also photographs of Gurr and Biel with friends including Herman Baron, Celia Bernstein [Gurr's sister], Hy Cohen, Minna Lieber Colvin, Al Greenberg, Louis Harkavy, Lily Leon, Abram Lerner, Louis and Adele Lozowick [photo by Biel], Maria Norman, Regina Phillips, Sam Popper, Anna Rosenblum, Miss Steinberg, and Hertha Wegener. Photographs of Gurr and friends in Provincetown include Mary Cecil Allen, the Garodnicks (cousins), Esther Goldberg, Muriel and James Kellstedt, Alfie Marx, and Eleanor Pelham Wickwire.
The series also includes photographs of Gurr at her Brooklyn home; photographs of art-related events including colleagues Samuel Adler, David Atkins, Joseph Biel, Henry Botkin, Clara Fasano, Rita Gordon, Minna Harkavy, Gerritt Hondius, Joseph Kaplan, Jane and Edith Kogan, Lev Landau, Jacob Lawrence, Harold Le Roy, Irving Marantz, Vi Sigismund, Bernard Simon, Hilda Weingarten, and Sol Wilson; self-portrait photographs of Biel; and Biel's photographs of George Grosz.
Biel's source material for artwork includes views of New York City such as miscellaneous street scenes, shanty towns and bread lines, activities at the waterfront, Times Square, clearing snow in Washington Square, activities at an amusement park and beach, one photograph of a John Reed Club gathering and photographs of miscellaneous unidentified individuals.
The series concludes with photographs of art work by Gurr, Biel's photographs of his own paintings, and art work by Joe Jones and Louis Lozowick.
Photographs are on reel 4948.
DescriptionContainerSelect
Photograph album, 1912-1939
5
27
Duplicates from photograph album
5
28
Photographs of family members, 1952-1964, undated
5
29
Photographs of Gurr by Joseph Biel, 1939, undated
5
30-34
Photographs of Gurr with Joseph Biel, photographed by Biel, undated
5
35-36
Photographs of Gurr by others, 1949-circa 1975
5
37
Photographs of Gurr giving painting demonstrations, 1949, undated
5
38
Photographs of Gurr (and Biel) with friends, undated
5
39
Photographs of Gurr and friends in Provincetown, 1956-1978
6
1
Photographs of Gurr (and Biel) at 71 Remsen Avenue, Brooklyn, 1940-1950
6
2
Self-portrait photographs of Joseph Biel, undated
6
3-4
Photographs of Biel's gravesite, 1944
6
5
Photographs of George Grosz by Joseph Biel, 1932
6
6
Photographs of art-related events, 1937-1977
6
7-8
Photographs by Joseph Biel of source material for art work, undated
6
9-14
Photograph album of sculpture by Lena Gurr executed at the Art Students League
6
15
Photographs of paintings by Lena Gurr, undated
7
1-15
Photographs of prints by Lena Gurr, undated
7
16
Photographs of sculpture by Lena Gurr, undated
7
17
Photographs of paintings by Joseph Biel, undated
7
18-21
Photographs of a painting by Lillian Cotton, undated
7
22
Photographs by Joseph Biel of paintings by Joe Jones
7
23
Photographs by Joseph Biel of lithographs by Louis Lozowick
7
24

Make a Request

  • To request an appointment to view materials, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reading Room" button. Please note, you will receive the full box.
  • To request reproductions, make your selections using the checkboxes and click the "Reproduction" button.