Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Robert Dell Papers, circa 1977-2013, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.dellrobe
Creators:
Dell, Robert, 1950-
Dates:
circa 1977-2013
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.5 Linear feet
Repository:
The Robert Dell papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1977 to 2013. The collection documents Dell's early career as an artist including key fellowships, residencies, and exhibitions. Correspondence is both professional and personal and relates to Robert Dell's public art projects in Iceland and the United States, grant applications, and personal matters. Noteworthy correspondents include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the sculptor William King, among others. Printed material includes broadsides, exhibition announcements, maps, posters, and clippings related to Dell's work, installations, and exhibitions. Also included is a drawing of Dell's sculpture Hitavaettur from April 1991.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Robert Dell papers measure 0.5 linear feet and date from circa 1977 to 2013. The collection documents Dell's early career as an artist including key fellowships, residencies, and exhibitions. Correspondence is both professional and personal and relates to Robert Dell's public art projects in Iceland and the United States, grant applications, and personal matters. Noteworthy correspondents include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the sculptor William King, among others. Printed material includes broadsides, exhibition announcements, maps, posters, and clippings related to Dell's work, installations, and exhibitions. Also included is a drawing of Dell's sculpture Hitavaettur from April 1991.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Robert Dell (born 1950) is a sculptor and engineer living in New York City. As a visual artist Dell completed a formative residency at the MacDowell Colony in 1977 where he befriended the sculptor William King. In 1988 he was awarded a Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship to Iceland where he created his best-known sculpture Hitavaettur, which means "guardian of geothermal hot water" in Icelandic. This work epitomized Dell's combined engagement with earth sciences and sculpture and laid the foundation for his work as an engineer and inventor. In 1991 Dell completed a Research Artist Fellowship at the MIT Center for Advanced Visual Studies after exhibiting Hitavaettur at the MIT Museum the previous year. Robert Dell is the founding director of the Center for Innovation and Applied Technology and the Laboratory for Energy Reclamation and Innovation at the Cooper Union, where he is also Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He is the primary author of ten patents as well as many peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Administration

Author
Ryan Evans
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Robert Dell in 2013 and 2019.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Ryan Evans in 2019.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Robert Dell Papers, circa 1977-2013. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Terms of Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public art -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Public art -- Iceland Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Engineers -- New York (State) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
King, William, 1925-2015 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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