Collection Information
Size: 2.7 Linear feet
Summary: The papers of sculptor Maxine Kim Stussy measure 2.7 linear feet and date from circa 1930-2018, bulk 1956-1999. Included is biographical material; a transcript of an interview of Stussy conducted by Gregory Cloud, May 12, 1972; transparencies, photographs, negatives and slides of works of art, Maxine Kim Stussy, Jan Stussy and others; writings by Maxine and Jan; printed material; scrapbook pages; lists of works of art and price lists; exhibition planning documents; and correspondence.
Biographical/Historical Note
Maxine Kim Stussy (1923-2020) was a native Los Angeles modernist sculptor and painter. Stussy studied at University of California, Los Angeles, earning her B.A. in 1947. During her studies at UCLA she met painter Jan Stussy whom she married in 1949. The couple often exhibited together in the late 1950s and 60s. Her sculptural work is comprised of many forms of materials ranging from ceramic to wood, bronze, and wood cast in bronze. She created an enormous body of work, with subjects including horses, abstract figures and towering human figures over six feet tall. Over the past sixty years, Stussy exhibited at galleries and museums throughout the United States and in Europe, such as the Esther Robles Gallery and Ceeje Gallery. In addition to her fine arts, Stussy also wrote poetry. In 1982, she married her long-time friend Raymond Frankel, Jr. They moved to New York for 16 years before returning to Los Angeles where she continued her artistic pursuits. Maxine Kim Stussy passed away in March of 2020.
Provenance
Donated in 1977 by Maxine Stussy. 84 of the slides of her art work were donated in 1985 by her ex-husband, Jan Stussy, with his papers. Additional material donated in 2022 by Belinda Frankel, Maxine's stepdaughter.
Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art are the Jan Stussy papers, 1943-1989.
Language Note
English .