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Catalog Data

Creator:
Weber, Max, 1881-1961  Search this
Subject:
Kroll, Leon  Search this
Soyer, Raphael  Search this
Kent, Rockwell  Search this
Hartley, Marsden  Search this
Gropper, William  Search this
Gross, Chaim  Search this
Davies, Arthur B. (Arthur Bowen)  Search this
Biddle, George  Search this
Zorach, William  Search this
Newman, Barnett  Search this
American Artists' Congress  Search this
Forum Gallery (New York, N.Y.)  Search this
Type:
Photographs
Sound recordings
Motion pictures (visual works)
Place of publication, production, or execution:
United States
Physical Description:
11.8 Linear feet
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as 9 series: Series 1: Biographical Material, 1905-1995 (Box 1; 10 folders) Series 2: Correspondence, 1902-2007 (Box 1-5; 4.2 linear feet) Series 3: Exhibition Files, 1919-2003 (Box 5-6; 0.7 linear feet) Series 4: Gallery Files, 1926-2005 (Box 6-7; 0.9 linear feet) Series 5: Personal Business Records, 1906-2006 (Box 7; 0.8 linear feet) Series 6: Writings, circa 1910s-1999 (Box 7-8; 0.6 linear feet) Series 7: Printed Material, 1909-2008 (Box 8-10, 12; 2.6 linear feet) Series 8: Photographs, 1930s-circa 2000 (Box 10-11; 1.1 linear feet) Series 9: Audiovisual Material, 1954-2000 (Box 11, FC 13-17; 0.7 linear feet)
Access Note / Rights:
Use of original papers requires an appointment. Use of archival audiovisual recordings with no duplicate access copy requires advance notice.
Summary:
The papers of New York painter and sculptor Max Weber measure 11.8 linear feet and date from 1902-2008. The collection documents Weber's career as an artist through scattered biographical material; correspondence with artists, curators, universities, arts organizations, and others; exhibition and gallery files; personal business records; writings by Weber and others; exhibition catalogs, news clippings, and other printed material; photographs of Weber, exhibitions, and works of art; audio recordings and motion picture films. Also included are records maintained by Joy Weber on the exhibition and sale of Weber's work after his death.
Citation:
Max Weber papers, 1902-2008. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Additional Forms:
Portions of the collection are available on 35 mm microfilm reels NY59-6 to NY59-10, N69-82 to N69-88 and N69-112 at the Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan. Researchers should note that the arrangement of the material described in the container inventory does not reflect the arrangement of the collection on microfilm.
Use Note:
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:
Also found at the Archives of American Art is an Allen L. Wetmore letter from Max Weber, April 15, 1946. Material lent for microfilming in 1959 and 1969 which was not included in the 2011 donation is available on microfilm reels NY59-6 to NY59-10, N69-82 to N69-88, and N69-112.
Biography Note:
Max Weber (1881-1961) was a painter and sculptor in New York City.
Weber was born in Bialystok, Russia. When he was ten years old his family moved to Brooklyn, New York. From 1898 to 1900 he attended Pratt Institute and studied theory and practice of design under Arthur Wesley Dow. After graduating he briefly taught drawing in Lynchburg, Virginia, and Duluth, Minnesota. In 1905 he moved to Paris to attend the Académie Julian, studying under Jean-Paul Laurens, and later attended classes at the Académie Colarossi and Académie de la Grande Chaumiere. In 1907 he attended Henri Matisse's studio class. The influence of Matisse and friend Henri Rousseau transformed Weber's painting style to include elements of cubism and fauvism.
Weber returned to New York in 1909, and over the next few years he frequently exhibited at Alfred Stieglitz's gallery 291. Initially his work was panned by American critics for being too modern. Despite criticism, Weber exhibited his work extensively in the 1910s and also began creating abstract sculptures. In 1914 he helped his friend Clarence H. White open the White School of Photography and taught art history there for four years. Also in 1914 his Cubist Poems were published in London. His second book of poetry Primitives was published in 1926.
In 1916 Weber married Frances Abrams. He began to explore narrative subjects in his paintings and in 1918 began carving woodblock prints. He also taught at the Art Students League for the 1919-1921 and 1926-1927 sessions. By the early 1920s he was recognized as an important American artist, serving as a leader in art organizations such as the Society of Independent Artists. In 1930 Weber became the first American modernist to have a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art.
In the 1930s Weber became more active in political and socialist causes, participating in many organizations throughout the Depression and World War II. In 1937 he became the National Chairman of the American Artists' Congress. By the 1940s, his work was widely known and influenced a new generation of American painters. He continued to exhibit extensively, received many awards, such as the Temple Gold Medal at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, and often served on art juries. In 1955 he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters and received an honorary doctorate from Brandeis University. He died in Great Neck, New York, in 1961.
Language Note:
English .
Provenance:
Material was lent for microfilming in 1959 by Max Weber and in 1969 by Mrs. Max Weber and daughter, Joy Weber. The bulk of the microfilmed material and additional papers were donated in 2011 by Joy Weber.
Location Note:
Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, 750 9th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Topic:
Art, American  Search this
Artists' studios -- Photographs  Search this
Painters -- New York (State) -- New York  Search this
Painting, American  Search this
Theme:
Lives of artists  Search this
Record number:
(DSI-AAA_CollID)9331
(DSI-AAA_SIRISBib)211527
AAA_collcode_webemax
Theme:
Lives of artists
Data Source:
Archives of American Art
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:AAADCD_coll_211527