Guide to the William Zorach Collection, 1923-1974, undated
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William Zorach Collection, George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College Library, Brunswick, Maine
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American painter and sculptor William Zorach (1887-1966) was born in Eurburg, Lithuania, and came to the United States in 1891. He studied at the Cleveland School of Art, the National Academy of Design, and in Paris. Between 1917 and 1922, Zorach turned from painting to sculpture, working in the latter medium for the rest of his life. Bowdoin awarded him an honorary degree in 1958.
Zorach taught at the Art Student's League (1929-1960) and was a founding member of the Sculptor's Guild. His paintings and sculptures are held by more than eighty museum collections. Among his works are "The Lineman," carved for the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics and presented to Bowdoin in 1960, and "The Spirit of the Dance," acquired by Bowdoin in 1953. His sculptures also adorn Radio City Music Hall, the Post Office building in Washington, D.C., and the Mayo Clinic. One of his favorite subjects was his wife, Marguerite, whom he married in 1912; they had two children.
The collection (1923-1974) contains essays by and articles regarding Zorach; clippings, exhibit announcements, electrostatic copies of five letters between Zorach and "Epstein" (originals retained by the family); biographical information, photographs, and other material relating to William Zorach. Though alphabetically arranged overall, each material type is chronologically arranged. The collection is supplemented by books and catalogues mentioning Zorach or his works.
Clippings
Correspondence (electrostatic copies)
Miscellaneous manuscripts
Miscellaneous printed material
Photographs: 1932, William Zorach's "Spirit of the Dance" by Bernard Danenberg Galleries n.d., Black and white photoprints of a forum on the steps of Walker Art Building featuring William Zorach, Marguerite Zorach, Sidney Simon, Abraham Rattner, and Russell Coles