The papers of sculptor, painter, and race car driver Salvatore Scarpitta measure 3.1 linear feet and 5.09 GB and date from 1934 to 2012. The papers include personal and professional letters from friends and galleries, exhibition and loan files, legal records pertaining to Scarpitta's estate, financial records, a scrapbook, photographs, printed and digital material, and video recordings.
Scope and Contents:
The papers of sculptor, painter, and race car driver Salvatore Scarpitta measure 3.1 linear feet and 5.09 GB and date from 1934-2012. The papers include personal and professional letters from friends and galleries, exhibition and loan files, legal records pertaining to Scarpitta's estate, financial records, a scrapbook, photographs, printed and digital material, and video recordings.
Financial and legal records include court documents related to Scarpitta's estate, loan agreements with various museums and galleries, expenses for various exhibitions, records for commission work, and appraisal documents. Correspondence, both personal and professional, are from friends, galleries and institutions. Printed materials include magazine and newsletter clippings related to Scarpitta, exhibition materials from specific museums, exhibition catalogs and press releases, and miscellaneous materials such as school yearbooks. Photographic material includes personal photographs, photographs and digital photographs of artwork, photographs of Scarpitta as a racer, and a photo journal from a friend documenting his trip to see one of Scarpitta's exhibition openings. Video recordings, one in digital format, include materials related to Scarpitta's career as a race car driver.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 5 series.
Series 1: Financial and Legal Records, 1972-2012 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1)
Series 2: Correspondence, 1976-2007 (1 folder; Box 1)
Series 3: Printed Material, 1934-2000 (0.4 linear feet; Box 1, 1.07 GB; ER01)
Series 4: Photographs, circa 1960-2007 (0.3 linear feet; Boxes 1, OV 4, 0.155 GB; ER02-ER03)
Series 5: Video Recordings, 1983-2011 (2 linear feet; Boxes 2-3, 3.86 GB; ER04)
Biographical / Historical:
Salvatore Scarpitta (1919-2007) was a sculptor, painter, and race car driver in Los Angeles, California, and New York, New York. Scarpitta was born in New York and grew up in Los Angeles. He served in the United States Navy during World War II as a Monuments Man, and afterwards lived for a period of time in Rome. In 1958 he moved to New York and was represented by the Leo Castelli Gallery. At the Castelli Gallery, Scarpitta received 10 solo exhibitions and was involved in numerous group shows. His work included multimedia canvases, sleds, and sprint cars.
Related Materials:
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Salvatore Scarpitta conducted by Paul Cummings, January 31-February 3, 1975.
Provenance:
The Salvatore Scarpitta papers were donated to the Archives of American Art in 2014 by Salvatore Scarpitta's daughter, Stella Cartaino.
Restrictions:
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 audio visual recordings in this collection must use access copies. Contact References Services for more information.
Rights:
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.
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Sculptors -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Automobile racing drivers -- California -- Los Angeles Search this
Automobile racing drivers -- New York (State) -- New York Search this
Genre/Form:
Video recordings
Citation:
Salvatore Scarpitta papers, 1934-2012. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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.
