Robert O. Preusser papers | Smithsonian Institution

Object Details

Occupation: Designers -- Massachusetts -- Cambridge; Educators -- Massachusetts -- Cambridge; Painters -- Massachusetts -- Cambridge
Topic: Design -- Study and teaching -- Massachusetts

Provenance: Material on reel 1829 donated 1980 by Robert O. Preusser; material on reel 1830 lent for microfilming 1980 by Preusser, material on reel 4494 was lent in 1991.; Microfilmed as part of the Archives of American Art's Texas project.

Biographical / Historical: Painter, educator, designer; Houston, Tex. and Cambridge, Mass. Preusser began his artistic career in Houston, Tex., where he taught at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston School (1947-1954) and the University of Houston (1951-1954). He moved to Massachusetts in 1954 to teach visual design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1974, he was appointed director of education at MIT's Advanced Center for Visual Studies. He retired in 1985.

Existence and Location of Copies: 35mm microfilm reels 1829-1830 available for use through interlibrary loan.

Existence and Location of Originals: Reel 1829: Originals returned to the lender, Robert O. Preusser, after microfilming.; Reel 4494: Originals returned to Robert Preusser.

Scope and Contents: Correspondence and sales records, writings, printed material, and photographs of art work document Preusser's artistic and teaching careers.; REEL 1829: Clippings and printed material document Preusser's early associations with his teacher, McNeil Davidson, and critic Ralph Pearson; regional and one-man exhibitions; teaching, lectures, juries and professional activities; his teaching affiliation with MIT, student projects and exhibitions; and lectures and published articles. Also included are a biographical summary, a list of owners of Preusser's paintings, and photographs of his work.; REEL 1830: Forty-eight photographs of art work (1939-1969) and correspondence and sales records (1951-1955) from the Downtown Gallery and Alan Gallery.; REEL 4494: General correspondence, correspondence with art dealer Catherine Long Randolph, exhibition catalogs, announcements, statements by Preusser about his work, and course outlines relate to his career as a painter, designer and educator.

Restrictions: Use of original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C., Research Center. Microfilmed materials must be consulted on microfilm. Contact Reference Services for more information.