Belle Krasne Ribicoff papers, 1942-circa 2010, bulk 1945-2004

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 Art Digest; letters between Ribicoff and representatives of the Storm King Art Center Museum pertaining to her donation of unpublished letters by David Smith to the museum; and correspondence with the Wadsworth Atheneum. Included is a small file of unidentified correspondents.

Correspondence, including files with individuals where there is substantive correspondence is arranged alphabetically; letters within the folders are filled in chronological order.

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 New York Times featuring the list of signatories to the petition.

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 Art Digest by Adja Yunkers. There are two pencil sketches of Sarai Ribicoff by William Bailey.

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.