The collection was donated by Belle Krasne Ribicoff to the Archives of American Art in 2008.
Also found at the Archives of American Art is Belle Krasne's letter to Philip Pavia, May 14, 1954 on microfilm reel 3470.
The collection was processed by Joy Weiner in 2011.
Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers, 1942-circa 2010 bulk 1945-2004. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Use of original material requires an appointment.
Letters from Jean Bazaine to Belle Krasne Ribicoff and sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey are access restricted. Their use requires written permission.
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
Belle Krasne Ribicoff (b. 1924) lives in Hartford, Connecticut and has served as an arts editor, critic, and university administrator.
Ribicoff was born and raised in New York City. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in art history from Vassar College in 1945. After a brief stint with an advertising agency in New York, Ribicoff became Assistant Editor at
In 1955, she married Irving S. Ribicoff (1915-1994), an attorney and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. The Ribicoffs' had two daughters, Dara (b. 1956) and Sarai (1957-1980).
Ribicoff has held various positions at the University of Hartford: Development Director at the Hartford School of Art (1980-1981), Development Liaison to the Office of President (1982-1988), and Associate Vice President for Public Affairs (1980-1983). Belle Krasne Ribicoff has served as a professional volunteer for educational and cultural organizations in Connecticut; she has been involved in efforts to make the arts a part of the school curriculum. She was Vice-President of the Hartford Board of Education (1961-1967; 1965-1971) and was Chairman of the State of Connecticut's Commission on the Arts (1965-1971). Ribicoff is a Life Director at the Hartford Stage Company and a Life Regent at the University of Hartford. She is a Sterling Fellows at Yale University and sits on the President's Advisory Committee at Vassar College.
Belle Krasne Ribicoff has received recognition for her professional and public service contributions by a number of institutions. In 1954, she received the Frank Jewett Mather Award for critical writing from the College Art Association. Other honors have included: Charter Oak Leadership Medal for Distinguished Service (1968), the University of Hartford Medal for Distinguished Service (1995), and the Spirit of Vassar award for outstanding commitment and service to Vassar or another community (2005).
The papers of Belle Krasne Ribicoff measure 1.6 linear feet and date from 1942-circa 2010, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1945-2004. Papers include biographical materials; correspondence with artists, art historians, writers, museum directors, and others; individual files relating to Belle and Irving Ribicoff's art collection and the Friends of Abe Ribicoff's campaign for the United States Senate; artwork; printed material, e.g., clippings, announcements, exhibition catalogues, brochures; and photographs. The collection documents Ribicoff's career as an arts editor, critic, and her involvement in civic and arts organizations for the State of Connecticut.
Biographical materials include documentation of the Buttenweiser Prize awarded to Belle Krasne by the Art History Departmental Honors at Vassar College in 1945 and curriculum vitae.
Correspondence, primarily incoming letters consists of letters, postcards, draft versions, and copies of e-mails. Belle Krasne Ribicoff was friends with many artists; their letters focus on daily activities, work, and the art world. Among the correspondents are Oscar and Eleanor Chelminsky, Joseph Cornell, Piero and Virginia Dorazio, John and Rae Ferren, Helen Frankenthaler, James Fitzsimmons, Adolph Gottlieb, John Graham, Ellsworth Kelly, Frank Modell, George L.K. Morris, Philip Pearlstein, Eero Saarinen, David Smith, and Adja Yunkers. There is substantial correspondence from Ben Benn, Sidney Geist, Leon Hartley, Ralph Rosenborg, and Theodore Roszak. Also found are love letters to Belle Krasne Ribicoff from Jean Bazaine. Many of the artists' letters are illustrated. Of note, are a letter from Carl Holty to J.B. Neumann and an artist's statement written by Adolph Gottlieb.
Ribicoff had a professional and personal relationship with a number of prominent writers, actors, and other individuals known for their work in the arts, such as Edward Albee, Claire Bloom, Peter DeVries, Horton Foote, Elia Kazan, Mark Lamos, Estelle Parsons, Karl Shapiro, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and P.L. Travers. There are letters from museum directors, art historians, and other well-known cultural figures, such as Dore Ashton, Clement Greenberg, Balcomb Greene, Rene d'Harnoncourt, Pierre Matisse, E. P. Richardson, Andrew C. Ritchie, Harry Salpeter, Curt Valentin, and Mark Van Doren. Also found are files of holiday cards, many original artwork; letters to Ribicoff upon her departure from
The Ribicoff collection relates to the personal art collection of Belle and Irving Ribicoff; materials document the purchase and sale of artwork and the lending of artwork for exhibitions. There is a file of petition letters sponsored by the Friends of Abe Ribicoff campaign for the United States Senate.
Original artwork includes prints by Jean Arp and Adja Yunkers and pencil sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey. Printed material consists of news clippings; a periodical; exhibition announcements; brochures; an offprint of an article by Cleve Gray; and miscellaneous printed material.
Photographs contain black and white photographs of Belle Krasne Ribicoff, Ben and Velida Benn, Richard Krautheimer, and of the jurors attending the Carnegie International exhibition (circa 1954), including Jean Bazaine, Rico Lebrun, Eric Newton, and James Thrall Soby.
The collection is arranged into 7 series:
This series contains documentation for the Buttonweiser Prize awarded to Belle Krasne Ribicoff by the Art History Department at Vassar College and curriculum vitae.
Correspondence spans over sixty years, with the bulk dating from 1949-2007. Belle Krasne Ribicoff's correspondence, mostly incoming letters, consists of letters, drafts, postcards, and copies of e-mails. Some letters are illustrated; a few contain original artwork. Many letters have attachments, such as invoices, price lists, notes, sketches, printed material, clippings, exhibition catalogues, invitations, and photographs.
Ribicoff was friends with many artists. Their letters to her concern daily activities, work, and the art world. Among the correspondents were Charles Burchfield, Oscar and Eleanor Chelminsky, Joseph Cornell, Piero and Virginia Dorazio, John and Rae Ferren, Helen Frankenthaler, Alberto Giacometti, John Graham, Russell Lynes, Frank Modell, George L.K. Morris, Philip Pearlstein, David Smith, John Von Wicht, Adja Yunkers, among others. There are individual artists' files for Ben Benn, Sidney Geist, Leon Hartley, Arnold Newman, Ralph Rosenborg, and Theodore Roszak. Two items of interest: Carl Holty's letter to J.B. Neumann discusses the use of realism in his work and an artist's statement by Adolph Gottlieb. Marcel Duchamp correspondence consists of two black and white photographs of the artist: a print by Victor Obsatz inscribed to Belle Krasne Ribicoff and a print by Naomi Savage, and a reproduction of an artwork.
Ribicoff's friends and colleagues included writers, actors, and other well-known individuals associated with theatre and film, such as Edward Albee, Claire Bloom, Horton Foote, Elia Kazan, Peter De Vries, Mark Lamos, Estelle Parsons, Cornelia Otis Skinner, and P.T. Travers. Also found are letters from art historians, museum directors, gallery dealers, such as Dore Ashton, S. Lane Faison, Balcomb Greene, Rene d'Harnoncourt, Pierre Matisse, Andrew C. Ritchie, Harry Salpeter, Curt Valentin and others. Files also contain letters to Belle Krasne Ribicoff from friends and colleagues relating to her departure from
Correspondence, including files with individuals where there is substantive correspondence is arranged alphabetically; letters within the folders are filled in chronological order.
Letters from Jean Bazaine to Ribicoff and two drawings of Sarai Ribicoff by Wlliam Bailey are ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Ribicoff Collection consists of records maintained by Belle Krasne Ribicoff on the Ribicoffs' personal art collection. Files document works that were sold or donated and the lending of artwork for exhibitions, mainly to university museums, including the Hopkins Center Art Galleries at Dartmouth College, Trinity College, Vassar College, and Williams College.
Materials include: correspondence with individuals at museums, galleries, publishers, and framers; loan agreements, exhibition forms, delivery receipts, and an insurance endorsement; receipts and invoices for frames and photographic prints of artwork; receipts for purchase of artwork; and consignment receipt, sales confirmation notice, post sales advice, and remittance advices for sale of artwork; and photographs of artwork.
Files include petition letters for Abraham Ribicoff's reelection to the United States Senate for the State of Connecticut and a clipping of the campaign advertisement sponsored by the Friends of Abe Ribicoff that appeared in the
Scattered notes include individuals who had expressed interest in supporting Ribicoff's nomination.
Artwork includes a color print of a figure by Jean Arp and cover art for
Oversized material housed in OV 5
Letters from Jean Bazaine to Ribicoff and two drawings of Sarai Ribicoff by Wlliam Bailey are ACCESS RESTRICTED; written permission required. Contact Reference Services for more information.
Oversized material housed in OV 4
Printed material houses clippings, mostly reviews of art exhibitions, announcements, exhibition catalogues, and an offprint of an article by Cleve Gray. Included are brochures for the elementary arts education program, Project CREATE directed by Belle Krasne Ribicoff.
Materials are arranged in chronological order.
This series contains black and white prints of Belle Krasne Ribicoff, Ben and Velida Benn, Richard Krautheimer and the Carnegie International jury featuring Jean Bazaine, Rico Lebrun, Eric Newton, and James Thrall Soby.
Also included are black and white snapshots of Belle Krasne Ribicoff at Vassar College and color snapshots of Ribicoff with unidentified colleagues and friends.