Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Luigi Lucioni Papers, circa 1905-2008, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.luciluig
Creators:
Lucioni, Luigi, 1900-1988
Dates:
circa 1905-2008
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2.7 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of Luigi Lucioni measure 2.7 linear feet and date from 1905-2008. The papers document Lucioni's life and career as a commercially successful realist painter who was best known for his landscapes of Vermont and portraits of opera singers. Included are biographical material, correspondence, writings, photographs, printed material including objects relating to Lucioni, and artwork. Correspondence is with friends, family, admirers, museums, and associates; Writings and notes are by Lucioni and also includes a signed guest book; Photographs are of Lucioni, his family, his artwork and events. Printed material includes publicity materials concerning Lucioni's solo exhibitions, opera playbills, newspaper and magazine clippings, holiday card designs and auction and exhibition catalogs. Objects include four decks of playing cards and a puzzle all featuring Lucioni's artwork, and artwork consists of sketches of a dog, likely one of Lucioni's pets.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of Luigi Lucioni measure 2.7 linear feet and date from 1905-2008. The papers document Lucioni's life and career as a commercially successful realist painter who was best known for his landscapes of Vermont and portraits of opera singers. Included is a biographical sketch, information on Lucioni and his sisters' birth and death dates and a funeral prayer card for Lucioni, as well as award and religious certificates. Correspondence consists of letters from friends, galleries, television studios and museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Vermont Educational Television channel as well as miscellaneous letters from Lucioni. Additional correspondence relates to the sales of Lucioni's artwork and letters compiled regarding research on Lucioni for various projects and exhibitions. Noteable correspondence includes opera singer Giovanni Martinelli, Nancy McClelland, Susan Delano McKelvey, Mabel McAfee, Graeme K. Howard, Electra Webb, and P.H.B. Frelinghuysen. Also found are writings such as typescript essays by Lucioni on opera and by others on his artwork, along with guestbooks he kept signed by friends and family visitors to his home which he referred to as "Amica", along with business records related to Lucioni's estate. There is printed material which makes up a substantial portion of the collection documenting a number of exhibition and auctions featuring Lucioni's work through magazine and news clippings, exhibition flyers and catalogs. Of note are playing cards and a puzzle featuring Lucioni's paintings. Also found are printed materials related to music such as musical scores and news clippings on the subject of opera compiled by Lucioni. Photographic materials include photographs and negatives of Lucioni, his family and pets as well as his artwork. The artwork series contains sketches of a dog, likely one of his dogs named "Missy".

Arrangement

Arrangement
The Collection is arranged as seven series. Nitrate negatives are housed separately and closed to researchers.
  • Series 1: Biographical Material, 1910-1988 (8 Folders: Box 1)
  • Series 2: Correspondence, 1922-2004 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 1)
  • Series 3: Writings, 1929-1988 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 1)
  • Series 4: Personal Business, circa 1928-1990 (3 Folders: Box 1)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1905-2008 (1.4 Linear feet: Box 1-2, 4, Box 3)
  • Series 6: Photographic Material, 1908-2006 (0.3 Linear feet: Box 4)
  • Series 7: Artwork, circa 1939-1969 (1 Folder: Box 4)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Luigi Lucioni (1900-1988) was an Italian American painter in Vermont and New York best known for his landscapes of Vermont and portraits of opera singers. Born in Malnate, Italy, Lucioni's family immigrated to New York in 1911 and eventual settled in Union City, NJ. Though he never finished primary school, Lucioni was admitted to Cooper Union where he studied painting while also working for a Brooklyn engraving company. After his time at Cooper Union, he continued his studies at the National Academy of Design, and then the Tiffany Foundation in Oyster Bay, Long Island. In 1929, he began spending part of each year in Stowe, Vermont painting still lifes and landscapes of the hills and barns. In 1939 he purchased a farmhouse and barn near Manchester, Vermont, converting the barn into a studio. He continued to paint and make etchings of the surrounding countryside for the next fifty years.
Lucioni's works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, among others.

Administration

Author
Sabine Lipten
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
35mm microfilm reel 3134 available at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
A majority of the collection donated in 2008 and 2011 by Sharron Kropa, a friend of Lucioni. Also 17 items donated in 1972 by Lucioni. Biographical material and some correspondence compiled by Ida Galvanoi, a family friend.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Sabine Lipten in 2023.

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.
Preferred Citation
Luigi Lucioni Papers, 1905-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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.

Related Materials
Luigi Lucioni papers also at Syracuse University and the Aldrich Public Library in Barre, Vt.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Artists' studios -- Photographs Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- New York (State) Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Painters -- Vermont Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Lucioni, Aurora Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives of American Art
750 9th Street, NW
Victor Building, Suite 2200
Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions