Alexander Raymond Katz papers
name: label: Creator
content: Katz, A. Raymond (Alexander Raymond), 1895-1974
label: Names
content: Wood, Beatrice
topic: label: Occupation
content: Stained glass artists
label: Occupation
content: Painters -- New York (State) -- New York
label: Topic
content: Art, Jewish -- United States
label: Topic
content: Jewish artists
label: Topic
content: Jewish art and symbolism -- United States
label: Topic
content: Synagogue art, American
label: Topic
content: Muralists
label: Topic
content: Decorative arts
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: Donated November and December 1974 by Katz' wife, Elsie. Microfilmed 1994 with funding from the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation.
creator: label: Creator
content: Katz, A. Raymond (Alexander Raymond), 1895-1974
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Mural painter, stained glass and mixed media artist; New York, N.Y. Born in Hungary, Katz' first name Sandor, was anglicized to Alexander upon his arrival in the United States, ca. 1909. Also known as Raymond Katz. Following his studies at the American Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Academy of Arts, he was employed by Balaban and Katz to decorate movie palaces. His mural commission, "Ten Commandments" at Chicago's Century of Progress exhibition in 1933 was based on the Hebrew alphabet. Subsequent murals and stained glass window designs commissioned by synagogues throughout America display symbolic images interpretive of Jewish traditions. Author of Black on White (1933), The Ten Commandments (1946), A New Art for an Old Religion (1952), and Adventures in Casein (1951).
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1.4 Linear Feet ((on 2 microfilm reels))
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1927-1974
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.katza
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: 35mm microfilm reels 4862-4863 available for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Correspondence, notes, writings, 3 scrapbooks, printed material, and 60 photographs document Katz' career as a painter, muralist, and stained glass artist of primarily Jewish and religious subjects.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Correspondence, 1927-1973, is primarily with synagogues, Jewish community centers and groups concerning commissions for architectural decorations and religious objects, and with galleries concerning exhibitions. Included is a letter from Bob Andrews, 1965, containing a photograph of Beatrice Wood and Gandhi's confidential aide Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya. Notes consist of 4 lists of projects for synagogues. Writings by Katz include an essay about the integration of architecture, painting and sculpture, and "The Seven Names," about calligraphy. Also included are writings by others about Katz, 1952-1956. Three scrapbooks, 1932-1955, contain clippings, reproductions of work, and a few photos and prints.
label: Scope and Contents
content: Printed material includes clippings, 1930-1974, exhibition announcements and catalogs, 1941-1973, and various brochures, programs, reproductions, and books by Katz, including Prelude to a New Art for an Old Religion (1945), and Adventures in Casein (1951); books illustrated by Katz, Art Calendar for 5709 (1948-1949), and By the Waters of Babylon by Gertrude Priester (1962); and a book jacket designed by Katz for The Hungry Eye by Raymond F. Piper, ca. 1955. Photographs are of Katz (7), works of art (35), and installations of Katz's work (25).