Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Boris Deutsch papers, circa 1912-1979, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.deutbori
Creators:
Deutsch, Boris, 1892 or 5-1978
Dates:
circa 1912-1979
Languages:
The collection is in English and Yiddish.
Physical Description:
3.1 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of Boris Deutsch measure 3.1 linear feet and date from circa 1912-1979. Deutsch's career as a modernist painter is documented through biographical materials, correspondence, writings, personal business records, printed and photographic material, and artwork.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Boris Deutsch papers measure 3.1 linear feet and date from circa 1912-1979. Biographical materials include a resume, identification documents, an interview transcript, and documentation of milestone dates. Correspondence with Deutsch is both personal and professional. Writings includes both autobiographical and biographical writings as well as various speeches and notes. Personal business records consists of business documents, inventories of artwork, and stock market documents created by Deutsch. Printed materials includes various materials relating to the political climate of the 1940s and Deutsch's personal interests, as well as auction and exhibition catalogs, and exhibition announcements. Also included are scans of photographs and scrapbook pages. Photographic material consists of photographs of Deutsch and his wife, family and friends, his artwork, and various installations of exhibits. Artwork includes one sketchbook.

Arrangement

Arrangement
This collection consists of seven series.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, circa 1924-1949 (.1 Linear feet: Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1924-1979 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1)
  • Series 3: Writings, circa 1940-1972 (.2 Linear feet: Box 1)
  • Series 4: Personal Business Records , circa 1926-1975 (.3 Linear feet: Box 1)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1921-1976 (1 Linear foot: Boxes 1 and 2)
  • Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1912-1972 (1.2 Linear feet: Boxes 2-5)
  • Series 7: Artwork, circa 1930 (.1 Linear feet: Box 4)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Boris Deutsch (1892–1978) was a muralist and painter who worked primarily in Los Angeles, California. He was born to a Jewish family in Krasnogorka shtetl, then part of the Russian Empire. Deutsch is known for his work in modernist paintings which were heavily influenced by German expressionalism, portraits, and printmaking with a focus on monotypes and lithography.
Deutsch obtained his education at the Bloom Academy of Fine Arts in Riga and completed post graduate work in Berlin, Germany. At the start of World War One, he was drafted into the Russian army and his mother helped him falsify identification documents and desert. After deserting the Russian Army, Deutsch went first to Harbin in China and then Japan. In 1916 he immigrated to the United States landing in Seattle before relocating to Los Angeles. There he joined the Art Student's League and worked for Paramount Pictures in the special effects department. While in Los Angeles Deutsch also taught at the Otis Art Institute for six years. In the years following 1924 Deutsch organized his first solo exhibitions and became highly regarded as a portraitist alongside his other artworks. In 1929 he decorated the interior of the Floridian Hotel in Miami Beach and during the 1930s he won many of the prizes earned over his career. During the Great Depression Deutsch was employed by the Federal Arts Program designing murals for post offices across California and New Mexico. Among his commissions sponsored by the New Deal project was the Terminal Annex Post Office in Los Angles. In 1946 he won the Pepsi-Cola art competition with his work What Atomic War Will Do to You. Deutsch is also known for his role in directing the fifteen-minute experimental and expressionist film Lullaby starring Michael Visaroff in 1929. Deutsch died on January 16, 1978, in Los Angeles.

Administration

Author
Allessandra Liberati
Sponsor
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.
Existence and Location of Copies
Material lent for microfilming is available on 35mm microfilm reel(s) LA 2 at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Clippings and exhibition catalogs were lent for microfilming in 1964 by Betty Hoag. Papers were donated in 1980 by the estate of Boris Deutsch.
Processing Information
This collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared, by Allessandra Liberati in 2023.
Separated Materials
The Archives of American Art also holds microfilm of material lent for microfilming (reel LA 2) including: clippings and exhibition catalogs.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Conditions Governing 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.
Preferred Citation
Boris Deutsch papers, circa 1912-1979 Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
The archives also hold an oral history interview of Boris Deutsch conducted 1964 June 1-5, by Betty Hoag, for the Archives of American Art.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- California -- Los Angeles Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Post office buildings -- California -- Los Angeles Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Public Buildings Administration. Section of Fine Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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