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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Lena Gurr Papers, 1908-1979, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.gurrlena
- Creators:
-
Gurr, Lena, 1897-1992
- Dates:
-
1908-1979
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
7 Linear feet
- Repository:
The Lena Gurr (1897-1992) papers date from 1908 to 1979 and measure 7.0 linear feet. Gurr was a painter and printmaker who studied under John sloan and Maurice Sterne at the Art Students League between 1920-1922. She also studied in France and married painter and photographer Joseph Biel in 1931. The papers document both Gurr and Biel's careers through correspondence, notes, art work, printed material, scrapbooks, and photographs. The collection offers researchers a valuable resource for studying the New York art community of the pre-war era.
Scope and Content Note
Scope and Content Note
The Lena Gurr papers date from 1908 to 1979 and measure 7.0 linear feet. The collection presents a good overview of Gurr's career as a painter and printmaker, and her relationship with her husband, painter Joseph Biel. Through biographical material, correspondence, notes, an interview with Lena Gurr, original artwork by Gurr and others, scrapbooks, printed material, photographs of Gurr, family, and friends, and photographs of artwork by Gurr and others, the collection offers researchers a valuable resource for studying the New York art community of the pre-war era.
Arrangement
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into eight series. Material within each series is arranged chronologically.
- Missing Title
- Series 1: Biographical Material, 1968, undated (box 1; 1 folder)
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1921-1979, undated (boxes 1-4; 3.1 linear ft.)
- Series 3: Notes, 1926-1972 (box 4; 4 folders)
- Series 4: Interview, 1950 (box 4; 1 folder)
- Series 5: Artwork, circa 1908-1951 (box 4; 36 folders)
- Series 6: Scrapbooks, 1912-1948 (boxes 4-5, 8-11; 1.45 linear ft.)
- Series 7: Printed Material, 1926-1978 (box 5; 21 folders)
- Series 8: Photographs, 1912-1978 (boxes 5-7; 1.05 linear ft.)
Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Born October 27, 1897, in Brooklyn, New York, Lena Gurr was the daughter of Hyman and Ida (Gorodnick) Gurr. She attended the Maxwell Training School for Teachers from 1915 to 1917, then turned her energies toward art. She studied painting and printmaking at the Educational Alliance Art School in 1919, and at the Art Students League (1920-1922), where she was a student of John Sloan and Maurice Stern. She also studied art in Paris, Nice, and Mentone, France. Her first solo exhibition was in 1932 at the Brooklyn Museum.
On November 24, 1931, Gurr married painter and photographer Joseph Biel. He was born October 27, 1891 in Russia, studied at the Russian Academy in Paris, and at the Workman's College, Melbourne, Australia. He also established the first Jewish Library in Melbourne. Upon his arrival in the United States, he studied under George Grosz at the Art Students League. Biel died in April 1943 of a heart ailment.
Administration
Author
Jean Fitzgerald
Provenance
The Lena Gurr papers were donated to the Archives of American Art by Lena Gurr from 1966 to 1979.
Alternative Forms Available
The collection is available on 35 mm microfilm reels 4940-4948 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and the finding aid written by Jean Fitzgerald in 1994. The finding aid was modified during conversion to EAD by Stephanie Ashley in 2002.
Using the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The collection is open for research. Patrons must use microfilm copy.
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.
Preferred Citation
Lena Gurr papers, 1908-1979. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
Archives of American Art
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