Professional Papers

Teaching includes materials created and collected by Josef Albers in his capacity as a teacher and administrator at the Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau, Germany; at Black Mountain College in Black Mountain, North Carolina, United States; at Hochschule fur Gestaltung (HfG), Ulm, Germany; and finally at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.

Materials regarding the Bauhaus include correspondence, course descriptions, meeting minutes, and printed materials. Of note is the material regarding the closure and reopening of the school in 1933. Other material relating to the Bauhaus is found in the Subject Files series.

The bulk of the subseries is contained in the Black Mountain College materials, which includes correspondence, administrative files, speeches, writings by Josef and other faculty members on the college, reports, lists, printed materials on the college, course descriptions and notes, teaching notes, and songs written by students about the college. Highlights of the materials include the Alberses’ first letters from the United States to friends in Germany; a eulogy for Mark Dreier written by Josef; letters regarding the resignation of Jonathan Andrew Rice, Josef Albers and Theodore (Ted) Dreier; Josef’s logo design for the college; several speeches by Josef given around the country to grow support for the college; course notes of Si Sillman and Harry Seidler; a humorous birthday card made by students for Josef; and the near complete run of Black Mountain College Bulletins.

Josef’s time as visiting professor at the Hochschule fur Gestaltung in Ulm is reflected in correspondence and printed materials, including correspondence with school founders Inge Aicher-Scholl and Max Bill, and colleague Gui Bonsiepe. Of note is the report by Josef on his course in basic drawing, design and color and the various notes and documents collected by Josef relating to the school.

Materials regarding Josef’s tenure as professor at Yale University in the newly formed School of Design and following his retirement is primarily documented through correspondence, notes and printed materials. Included among the materials is a 1961 petition requesting that Josef return as a visiting painting critic, “Ten Commandments for Color Course” (author unidentified), and the various Yale publications with contents on Josef.

Finally, the subseries includes various teaching materials demonstrating Josef’s teaching exercises employed throughout his career, such as Matiere materials, typofacture materials, sketches and drawings, and various
printed materials.

It is important to note that Albers disliked administrative work and avoided generating material in the conduct of administrative affairs. Therefore, there are few files reflecting his administrative work found in the subseries. Albers donated the bulk of his papers relating to his tenure as Chairman of the Department of Design at Yale to the Manuscripts and Archives Collection of Yale University (see Box 41, Folders 20 and 21)

The series Project Files consists of materials pertaining to prints, paintings, glass works, lettering, and various other projects completed by Josef Albers, often in collaboration with a printmaker or other organization. Of note among the materials are correspondence, print documentation, lists and notes related to print portfolios made in collaboration with Gemini G.E.L., Ives-Sillman, Tamarind Lithography Workshop, and Tyler Workshop. The bulk of material relating to Josef’s lettering is found in this subseries, containing studies, writings, photographs and printed materials on his Kombinationschrift alphabet. Other highlights include a clipping with Josef’s design for the National Gallery of Art Science Stamp Competition, a drawing of the IV Bienal Americana de Grabado-Santiago Chile poster design, an example of the Container Corporation logo design, and instructions with drawings to build a wren house.

The Solo and Group Exhibition subseries include catalogues, brochures, publicity, condition reports, shipment forms, work lists and notes. This subseries reveals Josef Albers's long career exhibiting his work throughout the world. Of note among the large number of exhibition files are materials relating to a major solo exhibition, "Josef Albers," organized by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, that traveled in South America, Mexico, and the United States from 1965 to 1967; and "Josef Albers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art," a retrospective of his work held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 1971, making Josef the first living artist to have a retrospective at the museum. Among the group exhibition files, highlights include the materials pertaining to the exhibitions "Josef and Anni Albers: Paintings, Tapestries and Woven Textiles," at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT in 1953 and "The Responsive Eye," at Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965.

This series contains correspondence, photographs, negatives, transparencies, plans, contracts, drawings, writings and publicity documenting the various architectural projects of Josef Albers's commissioned by others. The earliest commission was a stained glass work, Rosa Mystica Ora pro Nobis, circa 1916–1917 in St. Michael's Church, Bottrop. The piece was destroyed and there is little existing documentation regarding its existence. His last work, Stanford Wall, was commissioned by Stanford University and due to various complications was not until after Albers's death, in 1980. Josef's highest profile commissions were for the Pan American Building (current Met Life Building) in New York, Manhattan, in 1963 (removed in 2001 and subsequently destroyed); and the Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte in Münster, Two Supraportas, in 1972

This series includes correspondence, awards, photographs, writings, speeches, publicity, and medals from the universities, colleges, and professional organizations that bestowed awards and honorary degrees upon Josef Albers. Of particular importance to Josef Albers was the 1959 Ford Foundation Fellowship that made much of his work on Interaction of Color possible; the 1958 Conrad von Soest Prize; the Graham Foundation 1962 grant as co-recipient with Paul Rudolph for a sculpture commission for Yale Art and Architecture building, resulting in the sculpture Repeat and Reverse; the 1962 Honorary Degree of Doctor of Fine Arts from Yale University; the American Institute of Architects 1974 Fine Arts Medal Nomination; and various awards from the city of Bottrop.

Notebooks includes lists of private and public collectors, works sent to galleries and individuals, notes and writings, lists of people to whom books were sent, general lists of works and comments made on works. Of note is a portion of a notebook that contains a detailed description of Josef Albers’s painting methods. The Worklists series is similar to the notebooks subseries in its content but contains loose sheets of paper and additionally includes insurance values and collection reports.

[Binders and loose leaves in notebooks were disassembled and placed in folders, the label contained in quotes, e/g. “Lect” is the label on the original binder/notebook]

The Color Research series is comprised of materials collected or created by Josef Albers over the span of his career. It includes commercially produced materials on color, including Color-Aid Paper; correspondence, sketches and notes regarding color; and various printed materials on color.

The Interviews series contains printed interviews conducted with Josef Albers. A highlight of the subseries is the 1967 transcript typescript with handwritten corrections from the interview by Martin Duberman of Josef and Anni Albers. Material from this interview was included in Duberman's 1972 book Black Mountain College: An Exploration in Community, an important book on Black Mountain College but one that Josef and Anni took issue with due to alleged misinformation.

Bibliographies and Biographies includes handwritten, photocopies and citations of bibliographies of publications on and by Josef Albers and biographies and biographical notes on Josef Albers. This subseries also contains submitted biographical entries and correspondence with biographical publications. A highlight is Josef Albers’s undated notes and lists regarding a rough arrangement of his personal papers.