Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Jason Seley Papers, 1928-2003, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.selejaso
Creators:
Seley, Jason, 1919-1983
Dates:
1928-2003
bulk 1928-1983
Languages:
Some of the material in the Professional Activity Files series is in German.
Physical Description:
3 Linear feet
Repository:
The Jason Seley papers measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1928 to 2003. The collection documents Seley's career as a sculptor through correspondence with family, colleagues, and art institutions; autobiographical notes, speeches, and other writings; records of an art residency program in Berlin and other professional activity files including sound recordings and a transcript of an interview; personal business records such as ledger books and estate papers; clippings, exhibition catalogs and other printed material; sketches; and photographs and slides of Seley and his sculptures.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The Jason Seley papers measure 3.0 linear feet and date from 1928 to 2003. The collection documents Seley's career as a sculptor through correspondence with family, colleagues, and art institutions; autobiographical notes, speeches, and other writings; records of an art residency program in Berlin and other professional activity files including sound recordings and a transcript of an interview; personal business records such as ledger books and estate papers; clippings, exhibition catalogs and other printed material; sketches; and photographs and slides of Seley and his sculptures.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into seven series.
  • Series 1: Correspondence, 1948-1999 (0.7 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 2: Writings, circa 1976 (0.1 linear feet; Box 1)
  • Series 3: Professional Activity Files, 1949-1983 (0.4 linear feet; Boxes 1-2)
  • Series 4: Personal Business Records, 1955-1967, 2003 (0.1 linear feet; Box 2)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1948-1984 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2)
  • Series 6: Artwork, circa 1945-1950 (0.2 linear feet; Box 2, OV 5)
  • Series 7: Photographic Material, 1928-1981 (1.3 linear feet; Boxes 2-4, OV 6)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Jason Seley (1919-1983) was a sculptor and educator in New York, New York, known for creating sculptures out of chrome automobile bumpers.
From 1943-1945 Seley studied with Ossip Zadkine at the Art Students League in New York, and from 1947-1949 he pursued sculpture and taught in Haiti at Le Centre d'Art. In 1950, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to France. While abroad, he traveled and saw the famous Andrea del Verrocchio statue, "Colleoni," and from 1969-1971 he constructed a replica of the statue made from automobile bumpers.
Seley taught at Hofstra, New York University, and was the dean of the art school at Cornell until his death in 1983.

Administration

Author
Ricky Gomez
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.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The Jason Seley papers were donated in two installments, in 1984-1985 by Clara K. Seley, Seley's widow and in 2013 by Richard Heinrich, Seley's former assistant.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Ricky Gomez in 2020.

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. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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
Jason Seley papers, 1928-2003. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Educators -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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