Umberto Boccioni Papers, 1899-1986
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf4r29n6xq No online items INVENTORY OF THE UMBERTO BOCCIONI PAPERS, 1899-1986 Finding aid prepared by Annette Leddy Getty Research Institute Research Library Special Collections and Visual Resources 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, California 90049-1688 Phone: (310) 440-7390 Fax: (310) 440-7780 Email Requests: http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library/reference_form.html URL: http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library ©1998 J. Paul Getty Trust. INVENTORY OF THE UMBERTO 880380 1 BOCCIONI PAPERS, 1899-1986 INVENTORY OF THE UMBERTO BOCCIONI PAPERS, 1899-1986 Accession no. 880380 Finding aid prepared by Annette Leddy Getty Research Institute Contact Information: The Getty Research Institute Research Library Special Collections and Visual Resources 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, California 90049-1688 Phone: (310) 440-7390 Fax: (310) 440-7780 Email Requests: http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library/reference_form.html URL: http://www.getty.edu/research/conducting_research/library/ Processed by: Annette Leddy Date Completed: December 1994, revised Mar 2004 Encoded by: Philip Curtis, revised by Julio Vera ©1997 J. Paul Getty Trust. Descriptive Summary Title: Umberto Boccioni papers Date (inclusive): 1899-1986 Collection number: 880380 Creator: Boccioni, Umberto, 1882-1916 Extent: 3 linear feet (5 boxes) Repository: The Getty Research Institute Research Library Special Collections and Visual Resources 1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688 Abstract: The papers contain manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, photographs, clippings, ephemera, and other material by and about the Futurist artist and theoretician. The collection is especially representative of his Futurist period (1910-1915), and includes a number of essays, most of which were collected in the book, Pittura scultura futuriste (Dinamismo Plastico), as well as a compendium of articles regarding the 1985 show, Boccioni a Venezia. Request Materials: To access physical materials on site, go to the library catalog record for this collection and click "Request an Item." Click here for access policy . Language: Collection material in Italian Access Open for use by qualified researchers. Publication Rights Contact Library Rights and Reproductions Preferred Citation Umberto Boccioni papers, 1899-1986, Getty Research Institute, Research Library, Accession no. 880380. INVENTORY OF THE UMBERTO 880380 2 BOCCIONI PAPERS, 1899-1986 Acquisition Information Acquired 1988 Processing History The archive was first processed and described in 1988. Annette Leddy re-processed it and wrote a new finding aid and description in December 1994. The following books were consulted: Umberto Boccioni, Opera completa. A cura e con prefazione di F. T. Marinetti, 1927; Umberto Boccioni, Gli scritti editi e inediti. A cura di Zeno Birolli, 1971; Umberto Boccioni, Altri inediti e apparati critici. A cura di Zeno Birolli, 1972. Biographical/Historical Note Umberto Boccioni, born in Reggio Calabria in 1882, spent his childhood in Genova, Padova and Catania, and began his artistic career in Rome, where he worked with Giacomo Balla, who was then a Divisionist. In 1902 he went to Paris to study Impressionism and Cubism, traveled to Russia, and spent two years in Padova and Venice. He finally settled in Milan, where he met F.T. Marinetti in 1910 and became a Futurist, authoring, along with Carrà, Russolo, Balla, and Severini, "Manifesto dei pittori futuristi" (1910) and "Manifesto tecnico della pittura futurista" (1910). During the following five years, Boccioni produced what is generally considered Futurism's finest artistic legacy. Where other Futurist artists found a mechanical or formulaic solution to the problem of dynamism, Boccioni sought to portray dynamism as a dimension of consciousness. Thus, in the series "Dinamismi" (1913), or in works such as "Antigrazioso," and "Scomposizione di figure di donne a tavola," the object exists in complex relationship both to its environment and to the viewer's experience of it. He also published a number of theoretical essays about painting and sculpture, collected in the book Pittura scultura futuriste (Dinamismo Plastico) (1914), and traveled to various European cities, organizing Futurist shows and giving lectures. In 1915, he volunteered to serve in the great war and died after falling from his horse during a military drill. Scope and Content of Collection The Umberto Boccioni papers consist primarily of handwritten manuscripts from Boccioni's Futurist phase (1910-1915), many of which were collected, often in somewhat different form, in his book, Pittura scultura futuriste (Dinamismo Plastico). The notes and rough draft manuscripts offer a glimpse of Boccioni's compositional method and the evolution of his ideas during his very productive final five years. Most of the correspondence is from this period as well, and is generally from Futurist colleagues to Boccioni, with a few letters from Boccioni or to Marinetti. There are also a number of letters from or between family members, dating from 1899, as well as consolation letters to family members following Boccioni's premature death, with a few letters from the 1950's. Diaries and photographs supplement the papers, offering further evidence of Boccioni's deep commitment to his work. Numerous clippings about Boccioni's work and life emphasize his importance as a 20th c. artist. Arrangement The papers are organized in 4 series: Series I: Correspondence, 1899-1917; Series II: Manuscripts, notes and clippings, 1910-1916; Series III: Personal, 1907-1915; Series IV: Printed ephemera, 1912-1986. Subjects Boccioni, Umberto, 1882-1916. Architecture—Italy—20th century Art criticism—History—20th century—Italy Art, Italian—20th century Cubism Futurism (Art) Italian poetry—20th century Painting, Italian—20th century Sculpture, Italian—20th century World War, 1914-1918—Campaigns—Italy Genres and Forms of Material Clippings Manifestoes Photographic prints—20th century Poems Sketches Contributors INVENTORY OF THE UMBERTO 880380 3 BOCCIONI PAPERS, 1899-1986 Aleramo, Sibilla, 1876-1960 Amendola Kühn, Eva, 1880- Balla, Giacomo, 1871-1958 Buzzi, Paolo, d. 1956 Carrà, Carlo, 1881-1966 Cecchi, Emilio, 1884-1966 Dottori, Gerardo, 1884- Marinetti, Filippo Tommaso, 1876-1944 Morandi, Giorgio, 1890-1964 Nyst, Ray Pratella, Francesco Balilla, 1880-1955 Russolo, Luigi Severini, Gino, 1883-1966 Sironi, Mario, 1885-1961 Sprovieri, Paolo Walden, Herwarth, 1878- Titles Boccioni a Venezia Pittura, scultura futuriste Series I. Correspondence, 1899-1917 Physical Description: .5 lin. ft. 1 box Scope and Content Note A collection of 227 letters. The first set (1-48) are from Boccioni to family members and between family members; in this same set are letters from Marinetti, Cecchi and Russolo to Boccioni and from Boccioni to Cecchi. Remaining correspondence is addressed to Boccioni, with a few letters to Marinetti, and is organized alphabetically by the correspondent's last name. Among the correspondents are the following: Acciaco, Balla, Buzzi, Carrà, Dottori, Morandi, Pratella, Nyst, Severini, Sironi, and H. Walden. Box 1, Folder 1 Dealer's list of correspondence Box 1, Folder 2 Items 1-48 Box 1, Folder 3 Items 1-32 Box 1, Folder 4 Items 1-31 Box 1, Folder 5 Items 1-27 Box 1, Folder 6 Items 1-30 Box 1, Folder 7 Items 1-43 Box 1, Folder 8 Items 1-16 Series II. Manuscripts, notes and clippings, 1910-1916, n.d. Physical Description: 1 lin. ft. 2 boxes Scope and Content Note Manuscripts of essays (some "manifestos"), notes, drafts, proofs, clippings, lists, and leaflets and articles (Italian and French periodicals), primarily on art aspects such as futurism, sculpture, and cubism. INVENTORY OF THE UMBERTO 880380 4 BOCCIONI PAPERS, 1899-1986 Series II. Manuscripts, notes and clippings, 1910-1916, n.d. Series II.A. Manuscripts, 1910-1916, n.d. Series II.A. Manuscripts, 1910-1916, n.d. Physical Description: .75 lin. ft. Scope and Content Note Approximately two-thirds of the unbound final proof of Boccioni's book, Pittura e Scultura Futuriste, as well as two handwritten drafts of each of the following six essays in Part I of that book: "Perché siamo futuristi," "L'artista di fronte al passato e all'avvenire," "Perché non siamo impressionisti," "Che cosa ci divide dal cubismo," "Fondamento plastico," "Stato d'animo." The remaining fifteen manuscripts by Boccioni are handwritten drafts of pieces that were collected primarily in the manifesto section of the book, often in somewhat different form, including "Pittura Futurista," "Introduzione al Catalogo per la Prima Esposizione," "Sul Divisionismo," and "I Futuristi plagiati in Francia." There are also six poems, written as parole in libertà, and manuscript drafts by Gino Severini, Eva Amendola, and Sibilla Aleramo. Box 2, Folder 1 BOCCIONI, ET AL, 1914 Scope and Content Note ms., unbound final proof of book, Pittura, with handwritten corrections, missing seventy-eight pages, including the first, fifth, and sixth chapters and half of the seventh. Box 2, Folder 2 BOCCIONI, ET AL, 1913-1914 Scope and Content Note ms., 2 handwritten drafts of six essays from Pittura Scultura Futuriste: "Perché siamo futuristi," "L'artista di fronte al passato e all'avvenire," "Perché non siamo impressionisti," "Che cosa ci divide dal cubismo," "Fondamento plastico," "Stato d'animo." Box 2, Folder 3 BOCCIONI Scope and Content Note ms., 73 handwritten pp., Pittura Futurista, with brief