Al Blaustein Collection

Dates

1960-2011 and undated
1960-1980s.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of 59 works, including five paintings, 48 drawings and four prints. Also included is a sketchbook of drawings, a catalog of the artist’s late works, the artist’s inventory records for many of the library’s holdings and photo images of the works in the collection. The collections represent different periods in his artistic development, with the paintings, which depict disorder and discarded objects, representing his output in the 1970s and 1980s. Drawings range from highly detailed cityscapes of the 1960s to a series of drawings from 1996 that capture riders on the New York subways. The four etchings in the collection are undated and represent different themes.

References

Al Blaustein: Late Works. Ed. Barbara Bergeron. New York: Schmutzig Press, 2011. Print.

Al Blaustein.com. About the Artist. Accessed 2/16/16.

Old Print Shop. Al Blaustein Biography. Accessed 2/22/16.

Smithsonian American Art Museum. Al Blaustein. Accessed 2/16/16.

Extent

5 framed paintings, 1 large flat box (23 x 29 x 1 ½ inches)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The collection consists of 59 works by the artist Al Blaustein (1924-2004), including 5 paintings, 48 drawings and four prints. Also included is a sketchbook of drawings, a catalog of the artist’s late works, the artist’s inventory records for many of the library’s holdings and photo images of the works in the collection.

Biographical Sketch

Al Blaustein (1924-2004) was an artist and teacher of art, working in drawing, painting and printmaking. Born in New York, he studied at Cooper Union School of Art, as well as at the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine. Early in his career, he worked as an artist for LIFE magazine, thereafter contributing to a number of magazines, and taught at the Albright Art School in Buffalo. He went on to teach at Yale University and Pratt Institute in New York, where he was a Professor of Fine Arts for 45 years. He received numerous honors and awards for his art, including the Prix de Rome, awards from Cooper Union School of Art, and grants from the American Academy of Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. His work is represented in the collections of major art institutions, including Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art and Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Arrangement Note

The collection is arranged in three series: Paintings, Drawings and Prints, and Supplemental Materials. The material is alphabetical within each series. Physically, the paintings in the collection are framed and on display in Alexander Library. The remainder is housed in folders within a single box.

Related Collections

Bernarda Bryson Shahn Etchings

Clare Romano Collection

John Ross Collection

Winifred Milius Lubell Collection

Processing Note

The collection was donated by the artist’s family, and received in protective wrappings. The framed paintings have been put on display in the Alexander Library and the remainder of the collection has been re-housed in acid-free wrappers and folders, with acid-free tissue or polyester sheets placed between the artwork to further protect each piece. The artist wrote inventory numbers on the verso of many of these works. Each work has been further designated with a Rutgers identifying Blaustein number, ie. Blaustein 1, Blaustein 2, etc, written in pencil on the verso, upper right corner, or most readily legible location on the verso. Identifying numbers were not written on the paintings.

Measurements are height x width to the nearest .5 centimeter.