Archives of American Art

Alfred Levitt papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.levialfr
Creators:
Levitt, Alfred H. (Alfred Hofmann), 1894-2000
Dates:
1920-1984
Languages:
Approximately half of the printed material and twenty percent of the correspondence is in French.
Physical Description:
0.8 Linear feet
(on 2 microfilm reels)
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
Correspondence, 1920-1984; biographical material, business records, 1951-1959, includes receipts for watercolors exhibited at New York museums and galleries, and a project proposal for a series of lectures on cave art; writings, ca. 1917-1971, includes poems by Levitt, two proposals for a Greenwich Village Cultural Center, an article for a new art magazine, and an article about Levitt by George Dorgan; scrapbooks [unbound], undated and 1943-1975; printed material, including brochures concerning Levitt's political activities; photographs including portraits of Levitt and views of his studio, 1926, some of his paintings, 1937-1960; and the School of Modern Painting of the Provence, 1960; in which Levitt was active.
Scope and Contents
Correspondence is concentrated between 1945-1967 and includes statements of Levitt's philosophies and opinions on art and related matters; business letters, some pertaining to artists' associations on Cape Ann, Mass.; correspondence with museums; letters which reveal Levitt's efforts to gain recogition in the 1950s; also letters or notes from Marcel Duchamp, Ralph Pearson, G.L.K. Morris, George Biddle, and Ilya Bolotowsky; and letters discussing Levitt's interest in prehistoric art.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Cubist painter and photographer, New York, N.Y. Began his formal art training at the Art Students League, continued at the Academie Grand Chaumiere, France, and with Hans Hofmann. Metropolitan Museum owns twenty of his paintings. Founded the School of Modern Painting of Provence in St. Remy in 1960, where he was director and instructor until 1962. Levitt also developed an interest in prehistory and eventually became an expert in the field, winning an award from the French government for his studies of Stone Age cave art. Except for a few years in France and Spain, Levitt lived all of his life in New York. Studied at the Ferrer Art School. Died May 25, 2000, at age 105.

Administration

Existence and Location of Copies
35mm microfilm reels 4058-4059 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated 1985 by Alfred Levitt.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Art -- Periodicals Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arts organizations -- Massachusetts Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Cubism Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painting, Prehistoric Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Historians Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Art Schools -- France -- Saint Remy de Provence Function Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lhote, André, 1885-1962 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Morris, George L. K., 1905-1975 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Duchamp, Marcel, 1887-1968 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bolotowsky, Ilya, 1907-1981 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Biddle, George, 1885-1973 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Pearson, Ralph M., 1883-1958 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
School of Modern Painting of the Provence Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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