Multiple accessions were merged and archivally processed and a finding aid prepared by Anna Rimel in 2015 with funding provided by the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund. The Archives of American Art has implemented accelerated processing when possible to increase information about and access to more of our collections. For this collection, accelerated processing included arrangement to the series, subseries and folder levels, adhering to the creator's original arrangement as much as possible. Generally, folder contents were simply verified with the original folder titles, but items within folders were not arranged further. All materials were rehoused in archival folders and boxes for long-term stability, but staples and other fasteners have not all been removed. Boxes found after processing have been integrated into the finding aid.
Albert Christ-Janer papers, 1915-circa 1993, bulk 1930-1981. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
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The Albert Christ-Janer papers were donated by Virginia Christ-Janer in 1980-1981 and 1994.
Also found in the Archives of American Art is an oral history interview with Albert Christ-Janer conducted by Dorothy Seckler, March 21, 1964.
Albert Christ-Janer's research materials for his book
Albert Christ-Janer (1910-1973) was a painter, printmaker, art historian, writer, and educator active at colleges and universities across the U.S.
Albert Christ-Janer was born in Appleton, Minnesota in 1910 and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale University, and Harvard University. Christ-Janer wrote about American artists Boardman Robinson and John Caleb Bingham, and taught at a variety of institutions, including Stephens College, Cranbrook Academy, Pratt Institute Art School, and the University of Georgia. He was also an artist-in-residence at Tamarind Lithography Workshop in 1972.
Christ-Janer began his teaching career at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri in 1934, and soon became head of the art department. He moved to Michigan to accept the position of head of the art department and professor of art at Michigan State University in 1942. In 1945, he began working for the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, serving as director of the educational program, director of the museum and library, and professor of art history.
In 1947, Christ-Janer moved to Chicago and worked at the University of Chicago and the Arts Center Association, Inc. In the 1950s, he served as director of Arts Center Development at New York University, director of the School of Arts at Pennsylvania State University, and on the Lake Erie College Board of Trustees. In 1958, he moved to New York and become dean of the School of Art and Design at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, later becoming director. He left Pratt in 1970 to accept the position of Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Art at the University of Georgia, where he remained until his tragic death in 1973.
Christ-Janer was the author of several books:
Albert Christ-Janer was a Guggenheim Fellow in 1950, awarded the Rockefeller Award in 1954, and the Guggenheim Award in 1960. He was also awarded multiple grants from the American Philosophical Society and the J. M. Kaplan Fund for research and work in lithography, as well as multiple Arthur Judson grants. In 1972 Christ-Janer was the Tamarind artist-in-residence at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
Christ-Janer traveled often. In 1962 he was a guest of the Bonn government for two months to visit museums and schools of design in Germany. And in 1964, he was a guest of the governments of Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden for two months to study schools, museums, and cultural centers. In July of 1973, Christ-Janer was the official NASA artist for the Skylab III launch, and in October of 1973, he was the studio guest of the Norway-America Association and the Norwegian government in Oslo. From November to December of 1973, Christ-Janer was the scholar-in-residence at the Study and Conference Center of the Rockefeller Foundation (Centro Culturale delle Fondazione Rockefeller), at the Villa Serbelloni in Bellagio (Como), Italy.
Albert Christ-Janer was killed in an automobile accident in Bellagio (Como), Italy on December 12, 1973.
This collection is arranged as 14 series:
The papers of art historian, educator, painter, and printmaker Albert Christ-Janer measure 56.3 linear feet and date from 1915 to circa 1993, with the bulk of the materials dating from 1930 to 1981. The papers include biographical materials, personal and professional correspondence, writings, professional files, project files, teaching files, exhibition files, financial and estate records, printed material, scrapbooks and scrapbook material, photographs, artwork, and artifacts.
Biographical material includes address books; awards, certificates and diplomas; chronologies, biographies, and resumes; material relating to Albert Christ-Janer's death, including memorial services and a sound tape reel memorial; and information and blueprints for residences, among other materials.
Correspondence includes Christmas cards from other artists and professional correspondence, much of it relating to his work at various institutions, including Michigan State University, New York University, Pennsylvania State University, Pratt Institution, and foundations. Also included is Virginia Christ-Janer's correspondence regarding Christ-Janer's artwork and career, his death in Italy, as well as general correspondence and letters between Virginia and Albert. Additional correspondence is found within the Professional Files, Project Files, and Teaching Files.
Writings by Christ-Janer include articles, book reviews, essays, notes, and eleven notebooks. There are also a few miscellaneous articles and writings about Christ-Janer written by others. There are 38 annotated appointment notebooks and five of Virginia Christ-Janer's annotated appointment books. Annotations are about meetings, travel, and general thoughts.
Albert Christ-Janer's book projects are documented in the Project Files series. There are drafts, manuscripts, research, and correspondence relating to the research, writing, and publication of five of his books, including
Professional files document Christ-Janer's work at various institutions, as a consultant, on juried art exhibitions, memberships in arts associations, activities at conferences and committees, and the development of art centers in cities and educational institutions. There is significant documentation of his work planning and developing an arts center in New York City and at New York University, as well as his positions at Pennsylvania State University, Pratt Institute, University of Chicago, and University of Georgia. Also found are materials relating to professional trips taken to El Paso, Italy, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe.
Teaching files consist of syllabi, lecture notes and course materials, class record books, and other documents for positions at New York University, Pennsylvania State University, Stephens College, University of Georgia, and other institutions. Exhibition files are comprised of lists, prizes and awards, and other scattered documentation of Christ-Janer's solo and group exhibitions.
Financial and estate records include five account books, miscellaneous bills and receipts, a will and estate taxes and financial papers, and files for gallery transactions, lists of galleries representing Christ-Janer, lists of museum and private collectors of Christ-Janer's artwork. Printed materials include exhibition catalogs and announcements, published versions of Christ-Janer's books, books written by others and annotated by Christ-Janer, clippings, magazines, reviews, and printed material relating to Pratt Institute. There is one bound scrapbook and several files of loose scrapbook materials.
The scrapbooks series consists of one completed scrapbook concerning Christ-Janer's book on George Caleb Bingham, as well as several folders of general scrapbook files.
Photographs and slides depict Albert Christ-Janer, family, friends, artists, colleagues, exhibitions, and also include photographs compiled for published books.
Artwork includes numerous drawings, sketches, one sketchbook, and 111 lithographs by Albert Christ-Janer. There are also sketches and drawings by Charles Massey, John D. Whiting, Edwin Zoller, and others. Miscellaneous artifacts include a business card die, exhibition medals and trophy, handmade paperweight, a block-printed piece of fabric, and three graduation hoods.
Biographical materials include army papers, birth certificates and passports, diplomas and transcripts, awards and certificates, and wedding announcements. Also included are scattered biographical sketches, chronologies, and resumes; mailing lists and address books; residential information and blueprints. Memorial services and posthumous dedications for Albert Christ-Janer, including one sound tape recording, are also found here.
Oversized sound tape reel housed in Box 53.
Oversized material housed in OV 57.
Oversized diplomas housed in Box 51.
Oversized blueprints housed in OV 54 and OV 57.
Correspondence is comprised of holiday cards from artists, professional correspondence, Virginia Christ-Janer's professional correspondence, and personal correspondence between Virginia and Albert Christ-Janer as well as condolences for Albert's death.
This series is arranged as 3 subseries:
Found here are handmade, painted, sketched, and printed Christmas cards and letters from other artists, including Thomas Hart Benton, Adolf Dehn, Fritz Eichenberg, Nancy Grossman, John Groth, Doris Lee and Arnold Blanch, Ben Shahn, and Ed Zoller, among others. Also found here are Christmas card sketch drafts made by Albert Christ-Janer.
This subseries is arranged alphabetically by artist.
Oversized Christmas cards housed in Box 51.
Oversized Christmas cards housed in OV 55.
Oversized Christmas cards housed in OV 55.
This subseries documents professional relationships and work and is with the Guggenheim Foundation, Henry Heald, Edward Ryerson, the Saarinen family, with and about University of Georgia, New York University, Michigan State University and Cranbrook, Missouri, Pennsylvania State University, the Pratt Institute, Ford Foundation, Milton Eisenhower, Paul Hammond, and the Rockefeller Foundation, among others. Also found is general professional correspondence, correspondence with galleries, the Mellon Foundation, and Carl Milles.
This subseries is arranged in alphabetical groupings by location of profession or subject, and in loose chronological order thereafter.
Virginia Christ-Janer correspondence concerns artwork on loan, later editions of Albert Christ-Janer's books, Albert Christ-Janer's memorial services, the Norway-America Association, Forence K. Turner, and general correspondence regarding Albert Christ-Janer. Also found here is personal correspondence between Albert and Virginia, and correspondence during trips to Europe and with regards to Albert's death.
This subseries is arranged alphabetically by correspondent and in loose chronological order thereafter.
Found here are articles, book reviews, chapters, essays, notes, and 11 notebooks written in shorthand by Albert Christ-Janer. Also found are a few essays and writings by others.
Oversized material housed in Box 51.
This series is comprised of thirty-eight annotated appointment books, and five annotated appointment books of Virginia's. The appointment books are annotated with notes, appointments, and occasional reflections of the day.
Found here are documents relating to Christ-Janer's professional positions and activities, including art associations, various conferences and committees, consulting positions, and work with the planning and development of art centers in cities and educational institutions. Organizations represented include the American Council on Education, American Federation of Arts, Century Association, New School Art Center, National Art Education Association, National Association of Schools of Art, National Council of the Arts in Education, New York City Arts Center, NYU Arts Center and Self-Study, Pennsylvania State University, Pratt Institute, Stephens College, University of Chicago, University of Georgia, and others. Also found are materials relating to speaking engagements, jury participation, and professional trips taken to Italy, Scandinavia, and other parts of Europe.
Oversized material housed in Box 52.
Oversized material housed in Box 51.
Oversized material housed in Box 51.
Project files are found for Christ-Janer's books and various proposed projects. Book project files include
Oversized book cover housed in Box 51.
Oversized material housed in Box 51.
Found here are materials documenting Albert Christ-Janer's teaching positions as adjunct instructor and professor of art and art history at New York University, Pennsylvania State University, Stephens College, University of Georgia, and other institutions. Files contain class and lecture notes, syllabi, class record books, appointment letters, and committee correspondence, among other materials.
Exhibition files are comprised of solo and group exhibitions, general exhibition files, exhibition lists, and lists of exhibition prizes and awards. Files contain exhibition catalogs and announcements, correspondence, price lists, and other materials.
This series is comprised of five account books, budget documentation, income tax related documented, retirement plans, and general financial files. Also included are bills and receipts of travel, artwork, supplies, and monthly expenditures. Estate records include Tuxedo Park estate finances, estate art appraisal, finances, and taxes, Albert Christ-Janer's will, and material related to, as well as lists of, galleries and collections with Albert Christ-Janer's artwork.
Found here are Albert Christ-Janer announcements and notecards; published books by Albert Christ-Janer not found in the project files; books by others containing annotations, dedications, and covers by Christ-Janer; extensive categorized clippings; exhibition catalogs and announcements; magazines and reviews; Pratt Institute printed material; and general printed material files.
Oversized material housed in two folders in Box 52.
Oversized material housed in Box 52.
Oversized yearbook housed in Box 51.
There is one complete scrapbook containing clippings, announcements, annotations, and material related to Christ-Janer's
Oversized scrapbook material housed in Box 51.
Oversized material housed in Box 51.
This series is comprised of slides and photographs depicting Albert Christ-Janer, Virginia Christ-Janer, family, friends, colleagues, artists, exhibitions, as well as photographs for published books.
Oversized photographs housed in Box 51.
Found here are 111 lithographs as well as drawings, paintings, prints, one sketchbook, and sketches by Albert Christ-Janer. In addition, there are sketches and drawings by other artists.
Oversized material housed in Box 52 and OV 59.
Oversized material housed in Box 51.
Artifacts include a business card die, handmade paperweight, exhibition medals in cases, a medallion made by Carl Milles, a Swedish medallion of unknown origin, a trophy, a personal care device, a piece of block-printed cloth, and three graduation hoods.