Archives of American Art

Monty Lewis papers

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.lewimont
Creators:
Lewis, Monty, 1907-1997
Dates:
1928-[ca. 1960.]
Languages:
Undetermined
.
Physical Description:
1.6 Linear feet
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
REEL LA 2: A clipping, August 28, 1955, about Lewis; a book, Murals by American Painters and Photographers, Museum of Modern Art, 1932; a catalog, "The Bulletin of the Museum of Modern Art", vol. 4, July 1937; a newsletter, "Conferences on Inter-American Relations in the Fields of Art, Music, Education and Publications and Libraries, 1939-1940," March 1940.
Scope and Contents
UNMICROFILMED: Personal and business letters; Lewis' curriculum vitae; photographs of Lewis' WPA murals projects in New York and New Jersey and a renderings of a design proposal for a New Jersey WPA project; price lists of works; two travel diaries (1930-1931) from a trip to Europe; and a scrapbook, 1928-1947, containing newspaper articles, exhibition catalogs, and announcements.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Painter, muralist, educator; Coronado, Calif. Died 1997. Born in Cardiff, Wales, Lewis studied at the Art Students League in New York and received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1930, studying architecture and related art forms. His mural commissions include the Museum of Man Building for the 1939 New York World's Fair and for public schools in New Jersey. He moved to Coronado, Calif. in 1942 and founded the Coronado School of Fine Arts in 1945, serving as its director until 1990. At the time of its founding, it was the only school teaching the art of fresco. The school practiced a stylized method of instruction that was highly individualistic and informal, allowing instructors complete freedom in their teaching procedures.

Administration

Immediate Source of Acquisition
Printed material on reel LA 2 lent by Monty Lewis, 1965. Unmicrofilmed material donated 1998 by Kathryn Lewis Crane, daughter of Monty Lewis.

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
Mural painting and decoration, American Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- New Jersey Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mural painting and decoration -- 20th century -- New York (State) -- New York Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Federal aid to the arts Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- California -- San Diego Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Muralists -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Coronado School of Fine Arts Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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