Seymour Fogel papers
name: label: Creator
content: Fogel, Seymour, 1911-1984
label: Names
content: United States. Works Progress Administration
topic: label: Occupation
content: Muralists -- Connecticut -- Weston
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- Connecticut -- Weston
label: Topic
content: Mural painting and decoration, American
label: Topic
content: Painting, American -- New York (State) -- New York
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The records were donated by Seymour Fogel in 1975 and Fogel's son Jared Fogel in 1985.
creator: label: Creator
content: Fogel, Seymour, 1911-1984
setName: label: See more items in
content: Seymour Fogel papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of muralist and painter Seymour Fogel date from circa 1926-1984, and measure 5.6 linear feet. They document his work in New York City, Austin, Texas, and on mural commissions around the country. Found within the collection is biographical material; correspondence with friends, family, and colleagues; personal business records including teaching notes and financial statements; writings consisting of a published article by Fogel and several unpublished manuscripts and poetry; printed material including exhibition catalogs and clippings; photographs of works of art as well as personal snapshots; and artwork including an illustrated storyboard and sketches. The collection includes several recorded interviews with Fogel, as well as a recorded family dinner conversation.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Muralist and painter Seymour Fogel (1911-1984) was based between New York City and Austin, Texas. He worked for the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project, apprenticed with Diego Rivera on his ill-fated Man at the Crossroads mural, and completed murals in multiple government buildings, as well as churches, schools, banks, and other buildings. He pioneered the use of ethyl silicate in his murals. Later in his career his style shifted from realism to abstract expressionism. 
 

Fogel was born in the Bronx in 1911. He studied at the Arts Student League and the National Academy of Design, graduating in 1932. After leaving school he established a studio in downtown Manhattan and apprenticed for Diego Rivera. While working for the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration, Fogel completed several murals, including Wealth of the Nation and Security of the People for the new Social Security Building in Washington, DC. He also completed murals for the Cambridge, Minnesota and Safford, Arizona Post Offices during this time, the latter as part of the "48 States" mural competition.   

In 1946 Fogel moved to Austin, Texas to take a post in the newly formed art department at the University of Texas. He painted murals in several prominent buildings in Texas, including the American National Bank in Austin.  While living there he and his wife, Barbara, established their home "Southwind" as a hub for art salons.  

The Fogels moved to Connecticut in 1959, and Seymour set up a studio there. He also served as a visiting professor of art at Michigan State University in 1961, the Vice President of the Architectural League of New York from 1961-1962, and an Artist in Residence at the Springfield Missouri Art Museum in 1964.  

Fogel continued painting murals in the later part of his career, shifting from realism to abstract expressionism. He earned commissions for the Federal Building in Fort Worth, Texas in 1966 and the U.S. Federal Customs Building in New York City in 1967. He also painted a mural for the Hoffman Laroche corporate offices in Nutley, New Jersey in 1964. 

Fogel died in Weston, Connecticut in 1984.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 5.6 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: circa 1926-1984
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.fogeseym
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Interviews
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
label: Type
content: Video recordings
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 7 series. 

Series 1: Biographical Material, 1926-1982 (0.3 linear feet; Box 1, OV 6)  

Series 2: Correspondence, circa 1930-1984 (2.3 linear feet; Box 1-3)  

Series 3: Personal Business Records, circa 1934-1978 (0.4 linear; Box 3)  

Series 4: Writings, circa 1929-1984 (0.5 linear feet; Boxes 3-4) 

Series 5: Printed Material, circa 1959-1989 (0.8 linear feet; Box 4-5, OV 7)  

Series 6: Photographic Material, circa 1950-2020 (1.1 linear feet; Box 5, OV 8-10)  

Series 7: Artwork, circa 1930-1969 (0.2 linear feet; Box 5, OV 11)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Caroline Anderson-Gray in 2025.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Interviews
label: Genre/Form
content: Sound recordings
label: Genre/Form
content: Video recordings
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The papers of muralist and painter Seymour Fogel date from circa 1926-1984, and measure 5.6 linear feet.  

Biographical material includes resumes, real estate contracts, Fogel's ration books and selective service cards from World War II, awards, a professional survey, and a poem written for Fogel by his son, as well as several audio interviews with Fogel and a recorded family dinner conversation.  

Correspondence consists of letters with family, friends, and colleagues, including letters between Seymour and Barbara Fogel. Personal business records include teaching notes, financial statements, artwork price lists, contracts, and other materials related to his mural commissions. 

Writings includes an article by Fogel in the Journal of the American Institute of Architects, several unpublished manuscripts by both Fogel and his wife Barbara, as well as poetry by Fogel.  
 
Printed Material includes exhibition catalogs, as well as magazine and newspaper clippings, and press releases about some of Fogel's commissioned murals.  

Photographic material consists of portraits of Fogel, paintings, murals, sculptures, reliefs, and exhibitions, as well as snapshots of family, friends, and colleagues, including a photo of Fogel and Frida Kahlo. Artwork includes an illustrated storyboard, a notebook with sketches, and loose planning drawings and sketches.