Jan de Swart papers
name: label: Creator
content: De Swart, Jan, 1908-
label: Names
content: De Swart, Ursula
topic: label: Topic
content: Inventors -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Topic
content: Sculptors -- California -- Los Angeles
label: Topic
content: Modernism (Art)
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Gift of the artist's son, Jock de Swart, in 1996, with an addition received in 2001.
creator: label: Creator
content: De Swart, Jan, 1908-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Jan de Swart papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of southern California sculptor and inventor Jan de Swart measure 4.3 linear feet and are dated 1916-1994. They consist of correspondence, records concerning de Swart's inventions, writings, printed material, miscellaneous records, and photographs.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Jan de Swart (1908-1987) was a sculptor and inventor that lived and worked primarily in southern California.

Jan de Swart was born in Breda, Holland in 1908. At age 13, he began a five-year apprenticeship in the atelier of Master Yonkers in S'Hertgenbosch, run by a famous carver of ecclesiastical sculpture and furniture, and then completed compulsory military service before emigrating to the United States in 1929.

During his early years in California, de Swart worked as a furniture maker. He prospected for gold in Arizona, and lived in an artists' colony at Calabasas, California, during the 1930s, eventually settling in Eagle Rock, outside of Los Angeles, where he remained for the rest of his life. In the 1940s, he devoted himself to sculpture in wood, metal, and plastic, and participated in many exhibitions. His many commissions included murals, jewelry, furniture, and sculptured screens in a wide variety of media.

In addition, de Swart was an inventor who held over 100 scientific patents. Many of his inventions were for rivets, grommets, and other types of fasteners used for ships, aircraft, and machinery; he also developed a strong, honey-combed core material that was used for a variety of structural purposes.

He died in 1987 after suffering a heart attack.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 4.3 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1916-1994
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.deswjan
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Manuscripts
label: Type
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Type
content: Visitors' books
label: Type
content: Patents
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Essays
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Notes
label: Type
content: Blueprints
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 6 series.

Series 1: Correspondence, 1925-1991 (Box 1; 5 folders)

Series 2: Invention Files, 1930-1980 (Box 1; 0.5 linear ft.)

Series 3: Writings, 1920-1983 (Box 1; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 4: Printed Material, 1919-1994 (Boxes 2, 4; 0.3 linear ft.)

Series 5: Miscellaneous Records, 1916-1989 (Boxes 2, 4; 14 folders)

Series 6: Photographs, 1933-1987 (Boxes 2-4, OVs 5-14; 2.5 linear ft.)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed to a preliminary level by Catherine S. Gaines in 2006.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Manuscripts
label: Genre/Form
content: Slides (photographs)
label: Genre/Form
content: Visitors' books
label: Genre/Form
content: Patents
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Essays
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
label: Genre/Form
content: Notes
label: Genre/Form
content: Blueprints
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The papers of southern California sculptor and inventor Jan de Swart measure 4.3 linear feet and are dated 1916-1994. They consist of correspondence, records concerning de Swart's inventions, writings, printed material, miscellaneous records, and photographs.

Correspondence mostly concerns de Swart's career as an artist and, to a lesser extent, his personal life. Series 2: Invention Files documents many of de Swart's inventions through drawings, patents, contracts, licensing and royalty agreements, printed material, and related correspondence. 

Writings by de Swart consist of "Notes on My Film Metamorphoses" and brief notes for remarks to students during the run of his exhibition at San Fernando Valley State University. Included among the writings by other authors is an extensive manuscript by Ursula de Swart about her life and that of her husband. Printed material includes articles about Jan de Swart, exhibition reviews, exhibition catalogs and announcements, and an article by Jan and Ursula de Swart about plastic as a sculptural medium.

Among the miscellaneous records are a few biographical notes, guest books from many of de Swart's exhibitions, and pencil drawings by Jacobs and Jock D. Peters. The 1942 calendar/diary of Ursel Peters (Ursula de Swart) records her marriage to Jan de Swart. A grant proposal for the completion of Jan - A Tribute to Jan de Swart, a film by Judith Bronowski and Lauren Rickey, includes biographical information and photographs.

Photographs are of artwork by Jan de Swart, exhibition installations, people (among them Jan and Ursula de Swart, and their granddaughter), places (including "Allegro," the de Swart home, and de Swart's studio), miscellaneous topics, and a photograph album of de Swart's work. Also included are a large number of negatives, slides, and transparencies.