Arnold Rönnebeck and Louise Emerson Ronnebeck papers
name: label: Creator
content: Ronnebeck, Arnold, 1885-1947
label: Names
content: Demuth, Charles, 1883-1935
label: Names
content: Hartley, Marsden, 1877-1943
label: Names
content: Luhan, Mabel Dodge, 1879-1962
label: Names
content: Luhan, Tony
label: Names
content: Miller, Kenneth Hayes, 1876-1952
label: Names
content: Ronnebeck, Louise Emerson, 1901-1980
label: Names
content: Stieglitz, Alfred, 1864-1946
topic: label: Topic
content: Sculptors
label: Topic
content: Muralists
label: Topic
content: Artists -- New Mexico -- Taos
label: Topic
content: Portrait sculpture
label: Topic
content: Women artists
label: Topic
content: Women painters
label: Topic
content: Women muralists
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated in 2001 by Ursula Moore Works and Arnold Rönnebeck, the artists' daughter and son.
creator: label: Creator
content: Ronnebeck, Arnold, 1885-1947
setName: label: See more items in
content: Arnold Rönnebeck and Louise Emerson Ronnebeck papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: The papers of sculptor Arnold Rönnebeck and painter Louise Emerson Ronnebeck measure 4.24 linear feet and date from 1884-2002. The collection contains biographical material, family and professional correspondence, sketches and drawings, writings, a scrapbook, and printed material.  There are also numerous photographic prints, copy prints, negatives, and 7 glass plate negatives of the Rönnebecks and their artwork, travels, family, and friends, including Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Alfred Stieglitz, and Tony Luhan.
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Sculptor Arnold Rönnebeck (1885-1947) was part of the "Stieglitz circle" and settled in Denver where he served as director of the Denver Art Museum from 1926-1931. Rönnebeck married Louise Emerson (1901-1980) in 1926. Emerson was a painter and muralist who worked on New Deal mural commissions in Colorado and Wyoming. 

Arnold Rönnebeck was born in Nassau, Germany and was a noted sculptor and lithographer. From 1905 to 1907, Rönnebeck studied architecture at the Royal Art School in Berlin and spent a year studying sculpture in Munich.  In 1908, he moved to Paris where he furthered his studies in sculpture under Aristede Maillol and Emile Bourdelle. From 1914 to 1918, Rönnebeck served as an officer in the German Imperial Army during World War I. In 1923, he emigrated to the United States where he became part of the Stieglitz circle. 

In 1925, Rönnebeck visited Mabel Dodge Luhan at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico, where he met his future wife, the painter Louise Emerson, born Mary Louise Harrington Emerson in 1901. After their marriage, the Rönnebecks lived in Denver where Arnold Rönnebeck worked as director of the Denver Art Museum and continued to execute commissioned works, including bas reliefs, portrait busts, and sculptures. He died in Denver, Colorado in 1947. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Louise Emerson Ronnebeck continued to receive commissions for frescoes and murals in Colorado and Bermuda and died in Denver, Colorado in 1980.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 4.24 Linear Feet
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1884-2002
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives of American Art
identifier: label: Identifier
content: AAA.ronnarno
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sketches
label: Type
content: Drawings
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Photographs
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The collection is arranged as 7 series.

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1926-2002 (9 folders; Box 1, OV 7)

Series 2: Correspondence, 1909-1998 (0.6 linear feet; Box 1, 5)

Series 3: Writings, 1920-1944 (6 folders; Box 1, 5)

Series 4: Scrapbook, 1926-1966 (1 folder; Box 1)

Series 5: Printed Material, 1923-1999 (0.5 linear feet; Box 1-2)

Series 6: Artwork, 1915-1950 (2 folders; Box 2, 5)

Series 7: Photographic Materials, 1884-1976 (2.6 linear feet; Box 2-6)
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: The collection was processed by Trina Yeckley in 2003, and a finding aid prepared by Stephanie Ashley in 2006.  All materials were prepared for digitization by Judy Ng in 2014 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: The bulk of the collection was digitized in 2015 and is available on the Archives of American Art's website.  Materials which have not been scanned include blank pages, blank versos of photographs, duplicates, and negatives.  In some cases, exhibition catalogs and other publications have had their covers, title pages, and relevant pages scanned.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Sketches
label: Genre/Form
content: Drawings
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs
scopecontent: label: Scope and Content Note
content: The papers of sculptor Arnold Rönnebeck and painter Louise Emerson Ronnebeck measure 4.24 linear feet and date from 1884-2002. The collection contains biographical material, family and professional correspondence, sketches and drawings, writings, a scrapbook, and printed material.  There are also numerous photographic prints, copy prints, negatives, and 7 glass plate negatives of the Rönnebecks and their artwork, travels, family, and friends, including Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, Alfred Stieglitz, and Tony Luhan.

Biographical materials include articles on the Rönnebecks by Betsy Fahlman, curriculum vitae, and documentation on the Emerson family. Correspondence is primarily between Arnold Rönnebeck to Louise, and also includes letters in German to Arnold's sister Irmgard Rönnebeck.  Among the professional and personal correspondence from friends and family to both of the Rönnebecks are letters from Kenneth Hayes Miller to Louise Ronnebeck. 

Writings include essay drafts, notes, and poetry by the Rönnebecks, including Arnold Rönnebeck's "Paint-As-You-Go Plan."  There is a scrapbook of clippings covering Louise Ronnebeck's work.  Additional printed material includes Christmas cards, clippings, and exhibition announcements and catalogs of both the Rönnebecks' work.  Artwork consists of drawings and sketches by Arnold Rönnebeck.

Photographic materials include photographs of the Rönnebecks and their travels to Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, New York, and Europe.  The series also contains photos, copy prints, negatives, and 7 glass plate negatives of artist friends, and formal and informal documentation of their works of art and public and private art commissions.
relatedmaterial: label: Related Material
content: Correspondence between Arnold Rönnebeck and Alfred Stieglitz and Marsden Hartley is located at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University.