Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Elaine Sturtevant Papers, circa 1960-2014, bulk 1990-2014, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.sturelai
Creators:
Sturtevant, 1924-2014
Dates:
circa 1960-2014
bulk 1990-2014
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
5.2 Linear feet
0.003 Gigabytes
Repository:
The papers of multi-media artist Elaine Sturtevant date from circa 1960-2014, with the bulk of material dating from the period of the artist's resurgence, 1990-2014. The collection measures 5.2 linear feet and 0.003 GB. The papers document Sturtevant's career and artistic process through correspondence with artists and curators, writings and illustrated notes, exhibition and catalog files, project files, and printed material. Sturtevant's voice and artistic mission emerge through the many items of correspondence, essays, and project notes in the collection. The collection also contains a few born-digital files of scans of exhibition photographs dating from the 1960s.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The papers of multi-media artist Elaine Sturtevant date from circa 1960-2014, with the bulk of material dating from the period of the artist's resurgence, 1990-2014. The collection measures 5.2 linear feet and 0.003 GB. The papers document Sturtevant's career and artistic process through correspondence with artists and curators, writings and illustrated notes, exhibition and catalog files, project files, and printed material. Sturtevant's voice and artistic mission emerge through the many items of correspondence, essays, and project notes in the collection. The collection also contains a few born-digital files of scans of exhibition photographs dating from the 1960s.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged as five series.
  • Series 1: Correspondence, circa 1960-2011 (Box 1; 0.8 linear feet)
  • Series 2: Writings, 1980-2010 (Boxes 1-2; 0.2 linear feet)
  • Series 3: Exhibition and Catalog Files, 1980-2012 (Boxes 2,7, 1.3 linear feet; ER01, 0.003 GB)
  • Series 4: Project Files, 2000-2010 (Box 3; 0.3 linear feet)
  • Series 5: Printed Material, 1960-2014 (Boxes 3-6, OV 8; 2.6 linear feet)

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Elaine Sturtevant (1924-2004) was a multi-media artist in New York and Paris known for her carefully inexact repetitions of others artists' works. She is sometimes called the "mother of appropriation art" for being among the first to question concepts such as originality, individual authorship, and plagiarism. Sturtevant had her first exhibition at the Bianchini gallery in New York in 1965, showing works resembling those of George Segal, Frank Stella, and Andy Warhol. While Sturtevant mainly withdrew from the art world in the 1970s, she reemerged in the mid-1980s and began exhibiting internationally. In the last decades of her career, Sturtevant worked increasingly in video and installation.

Administration

Author
Hilary Price
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Archives of American Art in 2018 by Loren Sturtevant, Elaine Sturtevant's daughter.
Processing Information
The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Hilary Price in 2018.

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 in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
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
Elaine Sturtevant papers, circa 1960-2014. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Related Materials
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Elaine Sturtevant conducted by Bruce Hainley and Michael Lobel in 2007.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Artists -- New York (State) -- New York Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Artists -- France -- Paris Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Multimedia (Art) Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Women artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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